Third Reef
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
6Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 1,819kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft13 smushy
- Energy
- 1,410kJ
- Wind
- SE 13 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 866kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 433kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 2,460kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 2,459kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 824kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 145, fair
- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 530, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–14 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 264kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft16 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 1,819kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft13 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 1,410kJ | wind from the south-east, 13 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 866kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 30, poor | 5 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 433kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 2,460kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2,459kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 824kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 1,685kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 570kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 12 knots | 15°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 04:58 +0.5 mLow 09:52 −0.0 mHigh 15:28 +0.7 mLow 22:47 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:53 +0.6 mLow 11:20 −0.2 mHigh 16:53 +0.6 mLow 23:48 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:42 +0.7 mLow 12:36 −0.4 mHigh 18:18 +0.5 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
Third Reef 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
4 places
- Deadman's 0.4 km away
- No Pass 0.4 km away
- Gale Point 1.2 km away
- McKee's Creek 8.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Third Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (206°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (26°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Shelter Cove, 1.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 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$1,210–US$2,180 each
about US$1,210–US$2,180 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 ACV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DEN, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$261–US$543 |
| 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$1,210–US$2,180 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Shelter Cove
3 min by car · 13 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Shelter Cove 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 11h 50m
About 11h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ACV, changing at Denver International Airport (DEN), then 2h 10m by road
Flights MDW → ACV on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.