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Seal Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
40Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 172kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 169kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 277, good
- Tue 355, fair
- Wed 449, fair
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 641, poor
- Sat 732, too small
- Sun 830, too small
- Mon 931, too small
- Tue 1064, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Oct2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 77, good | 3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 185kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 172kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft13 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the north, 1 knot, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the north, 2 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 3 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 174kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 24°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.
Best time to go
best in Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Seal Beach on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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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
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More surf near here
5 places
- Seal Beach South Side 0.3 km away
- Seal Beach Pier Northside 0.5 km away
- Ray Bay 1.2 km away
- Anderson Street 3 km away
- Anderson Street - Surfside Bowl 3.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Seal Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (200°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (20°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 156). 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, 0.1 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to LGB, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$40 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about 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
1 min by car · 11 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Seal Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Long Beach on Booking.com
15 min by car · 66 places to stay
- Beds in Huntington Beach on Booking.com
21 min by car · 7 places to stay
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
Flights MDW → LGB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.