.jpg){kind=link}
Seaside
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
80Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 10 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,227kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,112kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 383kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 89 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,576kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 90 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,433kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 792kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,201kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 253, fair
- Tue 374, good
- Wed 474, good
- Thu 556, fair
- Fri 689, good
- Sat 790, good
- Sun 870, good
- Mon 983, good
- Tue 1080, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Aug–Sep4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 53, fair | 6 ft15 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 1,367kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 74, good | 6 ft13 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 1,227kJ | offshorewind from the south, 4 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 74, good | 8 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 1,112kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 56, fair | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 383kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 89, good | 8 ft11 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 1,576kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 90, good | 10 ft12 ssoft13 ft at break (est.) | 2,433kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 70, good | 7 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 792kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 83, good | 7 ft11 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,201kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 80, good | 8 ft11 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 1,254kJ | wind from the east, 1 knot | 18°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 10:40 −0.1 mHigh 16:13 +0.6 mLow 23:14 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:06 +0.6 mLow 11:57 −0.3 mHigh 17:37 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:07 −0.8 mHigh 06:44 +0.7 mLow 12:58 −0.5 mHigh 18:52 +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.
Best time to go
best Aug–Sep
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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 and its town
Seaside on Google Maps · Directions
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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Del Monte Beach 2 km away
- The Wharf 3.4 km away
- Lover's Point 6 km away
- Boneyards 8.3 km away
- Asilomar 8.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Seaside
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (328°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (148°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 36). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 12°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August and September, with about 4 good days in 7; in January and May, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Seaside, 3.5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 6 dive sites.
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$1,070–US$1,950 each
about US$1,070–US$1,950 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 ORD to MRY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$261–US$536 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,070–US$1,950 |
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
about 10 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Seaside its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Monterey on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 80 places to stay
- Beds in Pacific Grove on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 69 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 50m
About 6h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MRY, direct, then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → MRY on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.