Staying Home Sucks, home
Winter Storm Surf
Seal Beach Pier Northside. Photo: Terry Lucas, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Seal Beach Pier Northside

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

40Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: too small (3 ft swell at 12 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 55 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
208kJ
Wind
NNE 1 kn
Temp
21°C

Tue 3 · 42 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
163kJ
Wind
NW 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 53 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
200kJ
Wind
NW 1 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 33 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
159kJ
Wind
NNW 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 16 out of 100

Swell
1 ft14 ssoft
Energy
52kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 ssoft
Energy
71kJ
Wind
N 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 14 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 ssoft
Energy
26kJ
Wind
N 1 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 145, fair
  2. Mon 255, fair
  3. Tue 342, too small
  4. Wed 453, fair
  5. Thu 533, poor
  6. Fri 616, too small
  7. Sat 722, too small
  8. Sun 814, too small
  9. Mon 911, too small
  10. Tue 1027, too small

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 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Seal Beach Pier Northside, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov45, fair3 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)225kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots21°C
Mon 2Nov55, fair3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)208kJwind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov42, too small3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)163kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov53, fair4 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)200kJwind from the north-west, 1 knot22°C
Thu 5Nov33, poor4 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)159kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore24°C
Fri 6Nov16, too small1 ft14 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)52kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots27°C
Sat 7Nov22, too small2 ft13 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)71kJwind from the north, 2 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov14, too small1 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)26kJwind from the north, 1 knot, offshore26°C
Mon 9Nov11, too small1 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore27°C
Tue 10Nov27, too small3 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots24°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 03:40 +0.3 mLow 07:43 +0.1 mHigh 13:43 +0.6 mLow 21:22 −0.9 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 04:33 +0.4 mLow 09:42 −0.1 mHigh 15:21 +0.6 mLow 22:23 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:13 +0.6 mLow 11:01 −0.3 mHigh 16:45 +0.5 mLow 23:14 −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 intermediates: 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 Seal Beach Pier Northside

Seal Beach Blue Hour
Photo: Terry Lucas, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Seal Beach kitesurfers - panoramio
Photo: Steve D, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Seal Beach Pier Northside

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

The spot faces S (192°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (12°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.5 km out (1 in 154). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Seal Beach, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.

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$1,060–US$1,940 each

about US$1,060–US$1,940 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 LGB, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$516
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$40
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$1,060–US$1,940

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

Seal Beach

1 min by car · 11 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 11 places to stay in Seal Beach · Booking.com

About Seal Beach 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 6h 35m

About 6h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → LGB, direct, then 30 min by road

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