Is it worth the trip?
26Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 s
- Energy
- 331kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 s
- Energy
- 271kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 s
- Energy
- 238kJ
- Wind
- SW 19 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 s
- Energy
- 390kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 s
- Energy
- 465kJ
- Wind
- WSW 17 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 s
- Energy
- 586kJ
- Wind
- S 13 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 s
- Energy
- 439kJ
- Wind
- E 11 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 171, good
- Mon 231, poor
- Tue 359, fair
- Wed 416, poor
- Thu 512, poor
- Fri 610, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 819, poor
- Mon 946, fair
- Tue 1029, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Jun2 good days in 7
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 | 71, good | 4 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.) | 148kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 31, poor | 4 ft10 s5 ft at break (est.) | 331kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft9 s5 ft at break (est.) | 271kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, poor | 4 ft9 s4 ft at break (est.) | 238kJ | wind from the south-west, 19 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 12, poor | 5 ft9 s5 ft at break (est.) | 390kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 10, poor | 5 ft11 s5 ft at break (est.) | 465kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 17 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft8 s7 ft at break (est.) | 586kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, poor | 6 ft9 s7 ft at break (est.) | 439kJ | wind from the east, 11 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft9 s4 ft at break (est.) | 154kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 18 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 29, poor | 3 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | wind from the west, 13 knots | 17°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 04:39 +0.5 mLow 11:12 +0.1 mHigh 12:37 +0.1 mLow 20:51 −0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:07 +0.4 mLow 11:11 +0.1 mHigh 12:29 +0.1 mLow 21:00 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:29 +0.3 mLow 11:01 +0.1 mHigh 12:34 +0.1 mLow 20:30 −0.2 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
best in Jun
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 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
Stanleys 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
1 place
- Pennington Bay 4.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Stanleys
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (160°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (340°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually June, with about 2 good days in 7; in February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is American River. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,950–US$3,700 each
about US$1,950–US$3,700 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 ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$985–US$2,040 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$355–US$596 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$234 |
| Total | about US$1,950–US$3,700 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
22 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Sapphiretown its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in American River on Booking.com
25 min by car · 15 places to stay
Nearest beds: American River, 14 km (about 25 min by car)
About US$134 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 30h 50m
About 30h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 2h 30m by road
Flights MDW → ADL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.