Surf City Pier
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 191kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 123kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- NW 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 129, too small
- Mon 235, too small
- Tue 345, fair
- Wed 450, fair
- Thu 567, good
- Fri 661, good
- Sat 743, too small
- Sun 824, too small
- Mon 915, too small
- Tue 1020, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 20 °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 | 29, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 50, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 67, good | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 61, good | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 123kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 18 knots, offshore | 14°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 NovLow 05:45 −0.6 mHigh 12:09 +0.8 mLow 18:47 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:43 +0.5 mLow 06:57 −0.6 mHigh 13:16 +0.7 mLow 19:50 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:53 +0.6 mLow 08:08 −0.6 mHigh 14:20 +0.7 mLow 20:47 −0.6 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
Surf City Pier 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 Surf City Pier
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Surf City Pier
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (142°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (322°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.9 km out (1 in 185). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 28°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Surf City, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 20°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$1,040–US$1,860 each
about US$1,040–US$1,860 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 ORD to ILM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$335 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$87–US$141 |
| 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$1,040–US$1,860 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Surf City
1 min by car · 32 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Surf City 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 5h 10m
About 5h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ILM, direct, then 1h by road
Flights ORD → ILM on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.