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Tabletops Playgrounds
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
17Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 13 s
Mon 2 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 366kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 145kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- NNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 123, too small
- Mon 235, too small
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 611, too small
- Sat 712, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 1016, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 23, too small | 4 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 383kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 35, too small | 4 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 366kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 1 knot | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 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 03:33 +0.3 mLow 07:38 +0.1 mHigh 13:39 +0.6 mLow 21:18 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:26 +0.4 mLow 09:38 −0.1 mHigh 15:17 +0.6 mLow 22:19 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.6 mLow 10:56 −0.3 mHigh 16:39 +0.5 mLow 23:09 −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).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 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
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Tabletops Playgrounds 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Seaside Reef 0.5 km away
- Bus stop's 0.6 km away
- Fletchers Cove 0.8 km away
- Stretchmark Beach 1.5 km away
- Cherry Hill 1.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Tabletops Playgrounds
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (256°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (76°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 42). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Encinitas, 4.5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 20 surf spots and 2 wind sports 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$1,120–US$2,030 each
about US$1,120–US$2,030 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 MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| 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$1,120–US$2,030 |
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
2 min by car · 13 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Solana Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Del Mar on Booking.com
8 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Encinitas on Booking.com
8 min by car · 27 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 7h
About 7h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 55 min by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.