Shark Harbor
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
61Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 247kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 113kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 198kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- SSW 0 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 229kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 273, good
- Tue 333, poor
- Wed 461, good
- Thu 571, good
- Fri 661, good
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 864, good
- Mon 939, too small
- Tue 1056, fair
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.
Shark Harbor does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 73, good | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 198kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 33, poor | 3 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 61, good | 4 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 113kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 71, good | 4 ft8 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 198kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 61, good | 3 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 0 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 229kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 64, good | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 210kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 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 04:34 +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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:49 +0.7 mLow 11:59 −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 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 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, its town, photos
Shark Harbor 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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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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 15 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 · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.