Staying Home Sucks, home
Spooners Cove 2 MDOSP
Spooners Cove. Photo: Eric Polk, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Spooners Cove

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

65Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 9: 7 ft swell at 11 s, 3 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 52 out of 100

Swell
6 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
965kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 53 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
992kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 31 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 smushy
Energy
393kJ
Wind
NNE 11 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 55 out of 100

Swell
7 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
1,347kJ
Wind
NNE 11 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 66 out of 100

Swell
8 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
1,510kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 75 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
909kJ
Wind
NE 0 kn
Temp
22°C

Mon 9 · 83 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
1,117kJ
Wind
SE 6 kn
Temp
21°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 230, too small
  2. Tue 352, fair
  3. Wed 453, fair
  4. Thu 531, too small
  5. Fri 655, fair
  6. Sat 766, good
  7. Sun 875, good
  8. Mon 983, good
  9. Tue 1080, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best in Sep3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Spooners Cove, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov30, too small5 ft16 shollow9 ft at break (est.)1,041kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots19°C
Tue 3Nov52, fair6 ft13 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)965kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov53, fair7 ft10 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.)992kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov31, too small6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.)393kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov55, fair7 ft13 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.)1,347kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots23°C
Sat 7Nov66, good8 ft11 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.)1,510kJwind from the north, 4 knots22°C
Sun 8Nov75, good7 ft10 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)909kJwind from the north-east, 0 knots22°C
Mon 9Nov83, good7 ft11 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.)1,117kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 10Nov80, good7 ft10 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)909kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore19°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 05:12 +0.5 mLow 10:29 −0.1 mHigh 15:58 +0.5 mLow 23:01 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:52 +0.6 mLow 11:43 −0.3 mHigh 17:20 +0.5 mLow 23:51 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:27 +0.7 mLow 12:41 −0.5 mHigh 18:31 +0.5 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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

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 Spooners Cove

Spooner's Cove - panoramio
Photo: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Spooner's Cove - Spooner Ranch House - Flickr - docentjoyce
Photo: Joyce Cory on Flickr as docentjoyce, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Spooners Cove

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (285°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (105°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 30). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 12°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, March and April, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cuesta By The Sea, 6.3 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.

Water about 15°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$1,200–US$2,160 each

about US$1,200–US$2,160 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$529
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,200–US$2,160

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

Closest

Cuesta By The Sea

11 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Cuesta By The Sea · Booking.com

About Cuesta By The Sea 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 9h

About 9h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 2h 40m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.