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South Side
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
17Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 7 s
Tue 3 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- S 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 s
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 s
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Mon 9 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 s
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 25, too small
- Tue 36, too small
- Wed 43, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 725, too small
- Sun 821, too small
- Mon 915, too small
- Tue 1050, fair
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
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the south, 1 knot | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the south, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 21, too small | 3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 50, fair | 6 ft7 s7 ft at break (est.) | 289kJ | offshorewind from the west, 10 knots, offshore | 12°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 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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:36 +0.6 mLow 09:42 −0.6 mHigh 16:01 +0.6 mLow 22:11 −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 Tue 3 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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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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 and 1 wind sports 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
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 · 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
about 30 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Ocean City on Booking.com
about 55 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 · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.