The Back Porch
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
18Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 5 s, onshore wind, 12 kn (22 km/h)
Mon 2 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- E 12 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- E 14 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- SW 9 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 120, too small
- Mon 229, poor
- Tue 327, too small
- Wed 422, too small
- Thu 510, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 72, too small
- Sun 81, too small
- Mon 92, too small
- Tue 102, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The Back Porch does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the north-east, 13 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 29, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the east, 12 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the east, 14 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the south-west, 9 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | under 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 16°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 00:53 +0.3 mLow 13:07 −0.2 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:11 +0.3 mLow 14:04 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:06 +0.2 mLow 14:51 −0.0 mHigh 19:57 +0.0 mLow 22:24 +0.0 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
The Back Porch on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of The Back Porch
More surf near here
2 places
- Destin 3.9 km away
- Green Rooms A.K.A. The Arches 8.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Back Porch
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (184°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (4°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 47). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 30°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Destin, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot, 1 wind sports spot and 7 dive sites.
Water about 23°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$978–US$1,770 each
about US$978–US$1,770 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 VPS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$342 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| 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$978–US$1,770 |
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
1 min by car · 65 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Destin its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Miramar Beach on Booking.com
16 min by car · 136 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 4h 35m
About 4h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → VPS, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → VPS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.