Staircase
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
47Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 266kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 212kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 144kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- NNE 0 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- ENE 0 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 140, poor
- Mon 278, good
- Tue 356, fair
- Wed 442, poor
- Thu 535, poor
- Fri 630, too small
- Sat 728, too small
- Sun 820, too small
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 1020, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
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 | 40, poor | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 271kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 266kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 212kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 144kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 35, poor | 3 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 0 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 0 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 1 knot | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 25°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 03:49 +0.3 mLow 07:51 +0.1 mHigh 13:51 +0.6 mLow 21:29 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:39 +0.4 mLow 09:49 −0.1 mHigh 15:27 +0.6 mLow 22:28 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:18 +0.6 mLow 11:07 −0.3 mHigh 16:50 +0.5 mLow 23:18 −0.8 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).
- Jan2of 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
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Staircase 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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Photos of Staircase
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More surf near here
5 places
- Marshalls 5.2 km away
- Zuma Beach 12 km away
- Westward Beach 12.8 km away
- Drain Pipes 13 km away
- Point Dume - Little Dume 15.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Staircase
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (200°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (20°). It is sheltered 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 12). 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). The town to stay in is Malibu. Within 5 km we also list 9 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 LAX, 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: 3 towns
42 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Malibu its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Port Hueneme on Booking.com
44 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Oxnard on Booking.com
49 min by car · 5 places to stay
Nearest beds: Malibu, 24 km (about 45 min by car)
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 → LAX, direct, then 1h 15m by road
Flights MDW → LAX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.