Staying Home Sucks, home
Del-Mar-Race-Track
Del Mar, the nearest town, 11 km away. Photo: Intersofia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Scripps

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

17Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 13 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 24 out of 100

Swell
4 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
380kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Tue 3 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft15 shollow
Energy
98kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
125kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 20 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
92kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
32kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
24°C

Sat 7 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
71kJ
Wind
E 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
65kJ
Wind
E 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 122, too small
  2. Mon 224, too small
  3. Tue 313, too small
  4. Wed 418, too small
  5. Thu 520, too small
  6. Fri 69, too small
  7. Sat 714, too small
  8. Sun 814, too small
  9. Mon 912, too small
  10. Tue 1012, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Jan, Mar3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Scripps, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov22, too small4 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)380kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots20°C
Mon 2Nov24, too small4 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)380kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov13, too small2 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.)98kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov18, too small2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)125kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore22°C
Thu 5Nov20, too small3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore23°C
Fri 6Nov9, too small1 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)32kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore24°C
Sat 7Nov14, too small2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)71kJwind from the east, 2 knots, offshore26°C
Sun 8Nov14, too small2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)65kJwind from the east, 2 knots, offshore27°C
Mon 9Nov12, too small2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots27°C
Tue 10Nov12, too small1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)52kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore25°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 03:33 +0.3 mLow 07:38 +0.1 mHigh 13:39 +0.6 mLow 21:18 −0.9 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 04:26 +0.4 mLow 09:38 −0.1 mHigh 15:17 +0.6 mLow 22:19 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.6 mLow 10:56 −0.3 mHigh 16:39 +0.5 mLow 23:09 −0.8 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 and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Scripps

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (286°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (106°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 50). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and March, with about 3 good days in 7; in July, August and September, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Del Mar. Within 5 km we also list 16 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 3 dive sites.

Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,070–US$1,960 each

about US$1,070–US$1,960 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$516
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$33–US$60
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,070–US$1,960

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

Closest

Del Mar

18 min by car · 10 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 10 places to stay in Del Mar · Booking.com

About Del Mar its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Del Mar, 11 km (about 20 min by car)

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 6h 40m

About 6h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 35 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.