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Sunset Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
5Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: too small (2 ft swell at 7 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- S 13 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- WNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 22, too small
- Tue 32, too small
- Wed 41, too small
- Thu 54, too small
- Fri 62, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 97, too small
- Tue 1010, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Sunset Beach does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 2, too small | 2 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 10 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, too small | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 11 knots | 18°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 02:06 +0.6 mLow 08:03 −0.7 mHigh 14:35 +0.8 mLow 20:54 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:13 +0.7 mLow 09:13 −0.7 mHigh 15:39 +0.8 mLow 21:53 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 04:14 +0.8 mLow 10:18 −0.7 mHigh 16:38 +0.8 mLow 22:46 −0.7 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 and its town
Sunset Beach 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
5 places
- The Cove, Cape May 3.7 km away
- Broadway beach 3.9 km away
- Stockon Beach 5 km away
- Villas bay - Ohio ave 8.8 km away
- Trestles 9.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sunset Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (287°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (107°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 5.9 km out (1 in 588). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 3°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 Cape May, 4.5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 13°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
about 10 min by car · 164 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Cape May its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Villas on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 11 places to stay
- Beds in Wildwood Crest on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 209 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
About 6h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PHL, direct, then 2h 10m by road
Flights MDW → PHL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.