Staying Home Sucks, home
Seal Beach pier underbelly
Seal Beach South Side. Photo: Tracie Hall from Orange County, us, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Seal Beach South Side

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

14Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 20 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
172kJ
Wind
NW 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 20 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
169kJ
Wind
SE 0 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 ssoft
Energy
64kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft13 ssoft
Energy
60kJ
Wind
NNW 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 ssoft
Energy
75kJ
Wind
N 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 ssoft
Energy
25kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Mon 9 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft13 ssoft
Energy
36kJ
Wind
WNW 1 kn
Temp
27°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 226, too small
  2. Tue 320, too small
  3. Wed 420, too small
  4. Thu 512, too small
  5. Fri 69, too small
  6. Sat 712, too small
  7. Sun 87, too small
  8. Mon 96, too small
  9. Tue 107, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 3–12 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best in Oct2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Seal Beach South Side, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov26, too small3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)196kJwind from the north, 1 knot, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov20, too small3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)172kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov20, too small3 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the south-east, 0 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov12, too small2 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)64kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots24°C
Fri 6Nov9, too small1 ft13 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore26°C
Sat 7Nov12, too small2 ft13 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the north, 2 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov7, too small1 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)25kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots26°C
Mon 9Nov6, too small1 ft13 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the west-north-west, 1 knot27°C
Tue 10Nov7, too small1 ft13 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)24kJwind from the east-north-east, 0 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

  • 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 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.

Photos of Seal Beach South Side

Seal Beach
Photo: Tracie Hall from Orange County, us, CC BY-SA 2.0, 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 South Side

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

The spot faces S (197°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (17°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 159). 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). For beginners the best month is usually October, with about 2 good days in 7; in February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Seal Beach, 0.4 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

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 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.