Santa Cruz - Sunny Cove
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
24Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 17 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft17 scrumbling
- Energy
- 728kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,175kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 698kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 280kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,367kJ
- Wind
- E 0 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,418kJ
- Wind
- S 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 535kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 155, fair
- Mon 265, good
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 537, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 823, poor
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–14 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 279kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 65, good | 4 ft17 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 728kJ | offshorewind from the north, 3 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft13 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,175kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 698kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 280kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,367kJ | wind from the east, 0 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,418kJ | wind from the south, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, poor | 5 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 535kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,199kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 753kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 04:34 +0.4 mLow 09:07 +0.0 mHigh 14:47 +0.7 mLow 22:17 −1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:25 +0.5 mLow 10:43 −0.1 mHigh 16:15 +0.5 mLow 23:15 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:08 +0.6 mLow 12:00 −0.3 mHigh 17:40 +0.5 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Santa Cruz - Sunny Cove on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Santa Cruz - Sunny Cove
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More surf near here
5 places
- Santa Maria's 0.2 km away
- Blacks 0.3 km away
- 26th Ave. 0.9 km away
- Murph Bar 1 km away
- Harbor mouth 1.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Santa Cruz - Sunny Cove
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (197°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (17°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 42). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 12°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Santa Cruz, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 15 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 mountain bike area.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,200–US$2,170 each
about US$1,200–US$2,170 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SJC, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$536 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,200–US$2,170 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
5 min by car · 9 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Live Oak its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Capitola on Booking.com
6 min by car · 23 places to stay
- Beds in Santa Cruz on Booking.com
7 min by car · 84 places to stay
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 7h 25m
About 7h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SJC, direct, then 1h 05m by road
Flights MDW → SJC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.