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South Side
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
50Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 7 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- S 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 s
- Energy
- 157kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 s
- Energy
- 130kJ
- Wind
- W 11 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 121, too small
- Mon 213, too small
- Tue 313, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 555, fair
- Fri 672, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 842, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 105, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
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 | 21, too small | 2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 72, good | 4 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.) | 157kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 4 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.) | 130kJ | offshorewind from the west, 11 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 21 knots | 15°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 00:12 +0.4 mLow 06:11 −0.5 mHigh 12:46 +0.8 mLow 19:18 −0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:24 +0.5 mLow 07:24 −0.5 mHigh 13:55 +0.7 mLow 20:20 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:34 +0.5 mLow 08:36 −0.5 mHigh 15:01 +0.7 mLow 21:18 −0.6 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
- Apr0of 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
- Dec0of 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
South Side 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.
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.
Photos of South Side
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More surf near here
5 places
- Indian River Inlet 0.4 km away
- Cambell 7.5 km away
- Bethany Hollywood St 7.7 km away
- Fenwick Island 17.1 km away
- State Line 17.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About South Side
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (87°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (267°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 24°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Bethany Beach, 7.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$1,100–US$1,950 each
about US$1,100–US$1,950 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 PHL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$154–US$315 |
| 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$1,100–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
13 min by car · 34 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Bethany Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Fenwick Island on Booking.com
28 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Ocean City on Booking.com
54 min by car · 130 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 40m
About 6h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PHL, direct, then 2h 55m by road
Flights MDW → PHL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.