Staying Home Sucks, home
Couple on the Seacliff State Beach Pier
Seacliff Beach. Photo: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Seacliff Beach

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

20Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 5 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 20 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
217kJ
Wind
S 5 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 ssoft
Energy
859kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 37 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
308kJ
Wind
S 3 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,097kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
9 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,846kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 44 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
384kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Mon 9 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
959kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
21°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 251, fair
  2. Tue 320, too small
  3. Wed 40, too big
  4. Thu 537, poor
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 844, poor
  8. Mon 90, too big
  9. Tue 100, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 4–18 ftof swell
  • Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Seacliff Beach, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov51, fair4 ft16 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)864kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov20, too small3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)217kJwind from the south, 5 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov0, too big8 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)859kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov37, poor4 ft10 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)308kJwind from the south, 3 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big7 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,097kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big9 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,846kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots22°C
Sun 8Nov44, poor5 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)384kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots22°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big7 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)959kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots21°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big7 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)999kJwind from the south, 5 knots17°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

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 05:24 +0.5 mLow 10:42 −0.1 mHigh 16:15 +0.6 mLow 23:15 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:07 +0.6 mLow 11:59 −0.3 mHigh 17:39 +0.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:08 −0.8 mHigh 06:45 +0.7 mLow 13:00 −0.5 mHigh 18:53 +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

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 Seacliff Beach

Palo Alto Cement Ship and the Seacliff Beach Pier
Photo: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Seacliff, Aptos, CA 72 - panoramio
Photo: Vince Migliore, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
My breakfast at a convenience store near New Brighton Beach State Park, Santa Cruz
Near Seacliff Beach. Photo: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Seacliff Beach

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

The spot faces SW (203°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (23°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 93). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 Seacliff, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

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$1,150–US$2,080 each

about US$1,150–US$2,080 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 SJC, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$536
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$100–US$161
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$1,150–US$2,080

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

Seacliff

about 5 min by car · 9 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 9 places to stay in Seacliff · Booking.com

About Seacliff 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 20m

About 7h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SJC, direct, then 1h 05m by road

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