Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 6 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 s
- Energy
- 279kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 s
- Energy
- 198kJ
- Wind
- SW 18 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 s
- Energy
- 399kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 s
- Energy
- 481kJ
- Wind
- WNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 s
- Energy
- 557kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 s
- Energy
- 419kJ
- Wind
- E 13 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Mon 9 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 s
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 222, too small
- Tue 337, too small
- Wed 45, too small
- Thu 546, fair
- Fri 624, too small
- Sat 735, poor
- Sun 819, too small
- Mon 930, too small
- Tue 107, too small
- Wed 1133, too small
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
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 22, too small | 5 ft10 s6 ft at break (est.) | 456kJ | wind from the south, 12 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 37, too small | 5 ft9 s5 ft at break (est.) | 279kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft10 s4 ft at break (est.) | 198kJ | wind from the south-west, 18 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 46, fair | 6 ft8 s6 ft at break (est.) | 399kJ | wind from the west, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 24, too small | 6 ft9 s5 ft at break (est.) | 481kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 35, poor | 7 ft8 s7 ft at break (est.) | 557kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, too small | 6 ft9 s6 ft at break (est.) | 419kJ | wind from the east, 13 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft8 s5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 7, too small | 3 ft10 s4 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the east, 12 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 33, too small | 4 ft11 s4 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 21°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 05:07 +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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:39 +0.1 mLow 06:25 +0.1 mHigh 12:25 +0.1 mLow 19:01 −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 Tue 3 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 experts: 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
about 25 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
about 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.