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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?

35Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: too small (3 ft swell at 10 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 41 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
158kJ
Wind
NW 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 49 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
198kJ
Wind
WSW 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
159kJ
Wind
N 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 26 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
83kJ
Wind
NW 1 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 26 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 ssoft
Energy
92kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 20 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 ssoft
Energy
84kJ
Wind
N 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Mon 9 · 27 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
152kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
25°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 253, fair
  2. Tue 341, too small
  3. Wed 449, fair
  4. Thu 535, poor
  5. Fri 626, too small
  6. Sat 726, too small
  7. Sun 820, too small
  8. Mon 927, too small
  9. Tue 1053, fair
  10. Wed 1151, fair

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

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Seal Beach Pier Northside, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov53, fair3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)185kJwind from the west, 3 knots22°C
Tue 3Nov41, too small3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)158kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov49, fair3 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)198kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov35, poor4 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)159kJwind from the north, 3 knots, offshore24°C
Fri 6Nov26, too small2 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)83kJwind from the north-west, 1 knot26°C
Sat 7Nov26, too small2 ft13 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov20, too small2 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)84kJwind from the north, 2 knots, offshore25°C
Mon 9Nov27, too small3 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)152kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots25°C
Tue 10Nov53, fair3 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)198kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots25°C
Wed 11Nov51, fair3 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)194kJwind from the west-south-west, 1 knot24°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 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
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:48 +0.7 mLow 11:58 −0.5 mHigh 17:53 +0.5 mLow 23:57 −0.7 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 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 2 November 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$517
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$40
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$302–US$503
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$148–US$242
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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Seal Beach

about 5 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 2 November 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.