Shark Harbor
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
60Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 8 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 290kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 139kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 257kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 192kJ
- Wind
- E 1 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 111kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 140kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 128, poor
- Mon 272, good
- Tue 326, too small
- Wed 457, fair
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 630, too small
- Sat 752, fair
- Sun 862, good
- Mon 947, fair
- Tue 1077, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jan3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 28, poor | 3 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 321kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 72, good | 3 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 290kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft15 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 139kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 257kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 192kJ | offshorewind from the east, 1 knot, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 111kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 62, good | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 123kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 77, good | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 196kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 25°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 03:43 +0.3 mLow 07:44 +0.1 mHigh 13:46 +0.6 mLow 21:24 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:34 +0.4 mLow 09:42 −0.1 mHigh 15:23 +0.6 mLow 22:24 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:14 +0.5 mLow 11:01 −0.3 mHigh 16:46 +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.
Best time to go
best in Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 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
- May2of 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
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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, its town, photos
Shark Harbor on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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Photos of Shark Harbor
More surf near here
2 places
- Live The Pit 0.8 km away
- Ben weston (Catalina Island) 0.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Shark Harbor
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (267°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (87°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Two Harbors California, 6.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf 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$1,190–US$2,150 each
about US$1,190–US$2,150 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$1,190–US$2,150 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Two Harbors California
12 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Two Harbors California 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 7h 20m
About 7h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → LGB, direct, then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → LGB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.