Staying Home Sucks, home
Swami's Beach, Encinitas
Near Sea bluff, 1 km away. Photo: Tim Buss from North County, San Diego, California, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sea bluff

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

50Fair 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 · 81 out of 100

Swell
4 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
366kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
21°C

Tue 3 · 63 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
272kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 45 out of 100

Swell
4 ft4 smushy
Energy
45kJ
Wind
ESE 8 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 38 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
58kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 27 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
103kJ
Wind
NE 5 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 27 out of 100

Swell
1 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
65kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 25 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
58kJ
Wind
ESE 2 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 157, fair
  2. Mon 281, good
  3. Tue 363, good
  4. Wed 445, fair
  5. Thu 538, too small
  6. Fri 627, too small
  7. Sat 727, too small
  8. Sun 825, too small
  9. Mon 923, too small
  10. Tue 1038, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Sea bluff does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Sea bluff, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov57, fair4 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)383kJwind from the north, 3 knots20°C
Mon 2Nov81, good4 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)366kJwind from the east, 6 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov63, good3 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)272kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore22°C
Wed 4Nov45, fair4 ft4 smushy4 ft at break (est.)45kJwind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore22°C
Thu 5Nov38, too small2 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)58kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore22°C
Fri 6Nov27, too small2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)103kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore23°C
Sat 7Nov27, too small1 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)65kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore26°C
Sun 8Nov25, too small2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)58kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots26°C
Mon 9Nov23, too small1 ft13 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore26°C
Tue 10Nov38, too small2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)85kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots25°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, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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.

Photos of Sea bluff

SUNSET - panoramio
Photo: SCOTT CAMERON, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
San Diego County
Near Sea bluff. Photo: Sergei Gussev, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Sea bluff

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

The spot faces W (253°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (73°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 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). The town to stay in is Encinitas, 1.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 22 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,120–US$2,030 each

about US$1,120–US$2,030 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$80–US$134
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$1,120–US$2,030

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

Encinitas

2 min by car · 27 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 27 places to stay in Encinitas · Booking.com

About Encinitas its beds, food and every spot near it

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

About 7h door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 55 min by road

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