Short Sands
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
40Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- WSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- SSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 147kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 17, too small
- Mon 222, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 411, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 658, fair
- Sat 732, poor
- Sun 875, good
- Mon 937, too small
- Tue 1014, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 10 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
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 | 7, too small | under 1 ft13 s1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the west, 5 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 22, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the west, 3 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft8 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, poor | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 147kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 75, good | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 9°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 03:24 +1.3 mLow 09:24 −1.3 mHigh 15:42 +1.6 mLow 22:09 −1.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:28 +1.2 mLow 10:31 −1.2 mHigh 16:51 +1.4 mLow 23:14 −1.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:34 +1.2 mLow 11:41 −1.2 mHigh 18:01 +1.4 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
No month stands out
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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 and its town
Short Sands 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Short Sands Beach 0 km away
- Long Sands,York Beach,ME 1.3 km away
- Ogunquit Rivermouth 8.4 km away
- Ogunquit Beach 9.2 km away
- Wells Beach 15 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Short Sands
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (75°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (255°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 52). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is York, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 10°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,120–US$2,000 each
about US$1,120–US$2,000 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 PWM, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$174–US$362 |
| 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$1,120–US$2,000 |
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
9 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About York its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ogunquit on Booking.com
15 min by car · 89 places to stay
- Beds in Portsmouth on Booking.com
29 min by car · 51 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 5h 40m
About 5h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PWM, direct, then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → PWM on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.