Is it worth the trip?
53Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 155kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 148kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 94kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sat 7 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 127, too small
- Mon 252, fair
- Tue 365, good
- Wed 469, good
- Thu 555, fair
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 716, too small
- Sun 840, too small
- Mon 927, too small
- Tue 1027, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Apr–May, Oct5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Tico's Point 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 | 27, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 52, fair | 2 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 155kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 69, good | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 148kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 94kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 29°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 05:05 −0.3 mHigh 11:00 +0.2 mLow 17:05 −0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:00 +0.5 mLow 06:30 −0.3 mHigh 12:37 +0.2 mLow 18:25 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:18 +0.5 mLow 07:49 −0.3 mHigh 14:04 +0.3 mLow 19:44 −0.3 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
best Apr–May, Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 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
Tico's Point 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Tico's Point
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (222°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (42°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 4.0 km out (1 in 400). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 27°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May and October, with about 5 good days in 7; in July and August, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Buchanan, 5.2 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. 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$1,180–US$2,240 each
about US$1,180–US$2,240 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 ORD to ROB, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$569–US$1,180 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,180–US$2,240 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Buchanan
9 min by car · 3 places to stay
About Buchanan its beds, food and every spot near it
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 16h 50m
About 16h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ROB, direct, then 1h 20m by road
Flights ORD → ROB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.