Staying Home Sucks, home
Fisherman in Stormy Weather
The North Jetty. Photo: Bernd Thaller from Graz, Austria, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

The North Jetty

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

12Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft15 s
Energy
2,257kJ
Wind
E 10 kn
Temp
12°C

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft12 s
Energy
1,212kJ
Wind
E 9 kn
Temp
14°C

Wed 4 · 63 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 s
Energy
223kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
11°C

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 s
Energy
791kJ
Wind
S 6 kn
Temp
12°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 s
Energy
2,602kJ
Wind
W 15 kn
Temp
13°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
12 ft11 s
Energy
2,992kJ
Wind
E 13 kn
Temp
13°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft11 s
Energy
2,162kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
13°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 161, good
  2. Mon 20, too big
  3. Tue 30, too big
  4. Wed 463, good
  5. Thu 50, too big
  6. Fri 60, too big
  7. Sat 70, too big
  8. Sun 80, too big
  9. Mon 90, too big
  10. Tue 100, too big

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
  • Best in Sep2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at The North Jetty, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov61, good3 ft17 s7 ft at break (est.)656kJwind from the west-south-west, 5 knots11°C
Mon 2Nov0, too big8 ft15 s12 ft at break (est.)2,257kJwind from the east, 10 knots12°C
Tue 3Nov0, too big7 ft12 s10 ft at break (est.)1,212kJwind from the east, 9 knots14°C
Wed 4Nov63, good4 ft8 s5 ft at break (est.)223kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore11°C
Thu 5Nov0, too big8 ft8 s10 ft at break (est.)791kJwind from the south, 6 knots12°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big10 ft12 s14 ft at break (est.)2,602kJwind from the west, 15 knots13°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big12 ft11 s15 ft at break (est.)2,992kJwind from the east, 13 knots13°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big10 ft11 s14 ft at break (est.)2,162kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots13°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big7 ft8 s8 ft at break (est.)596kJwind from the south, 16 knots13°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big7 ft10 s10 ft at break (est.)864kJwind from the south-south-east, 20 knots14°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 05:33 +0.7 mLow 10:51 −0.3 mHigh 16:35 +1.0 mLow 23:41 −1.5 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 06:38 +0.8 mLow 12:19 −0.4 mHigh 18:01 +0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 00:48 −1.3 mHigh 07:36 +0.9 mLow 13:38 −0.7 mHigh 19:28 +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, its town, photos

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of The North Jetty

Rough Sea
Photo: Bernd Thaller from Graz, Austria, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About The North Jetty

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (274°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (94°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea is about 9°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ocean Shores, 5.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 11°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,190–US$2,150 each

about US$1,190–US$2,150 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SEA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$516
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,190–US$2,150

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

Closest

Ocean Shores

9 min by car · 7 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 7 places to stay in Ocean Shores · Booking.com

About Ocean Shores 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 8h 55m

About 8h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SEA, direct, then 2h 55m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.