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Tigertail

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

11Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: too small (1 ft swell at 3 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 25 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 smushy
Energy
2kJ
Wind
ESE 7 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 12 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
ENE 6 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 6 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft2 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 4 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft2 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 6 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft2 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 5 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft2 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
WNW 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Mon 9 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft2 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 221, too small
  2. Tue 325, too small
  3. Wed 412, too small
  4. Thu 56, too small
  5. Fri 64, too small
  6. Sat 76, too small
  7. Sun 85, too small
  8. Mon 92, too small
  9. Tue 1054, fair

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 1–6 ftof swell
  • Water 25 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Tigertail, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov21, too small1 ft3 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore27°C
Tue 3Nov25, too small1 ft3 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov12, too small1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore26°C
Thu 5Nov6, too smallunder 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore27°C
Fri 6Nov4, too smallunder 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore26°C
Sat 7Nov6, too smallunder 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore26°C
Sun 8Nov5, too smallunder 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the west-north-west, 2 knots26°C
Mon 9Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore26°C
Tue 10Nov54, fair2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the north, 9 knots22°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

  • Mon 2 NovLow 00:01 −0.0 mHigh 05:58 +0.3 mLow 12:59 −0.4 mHigh 19:59 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 01:25 −0.1 mHigh 07:41 +0.4 mLow 14:06 −0.3 mHigh 20:43 +0.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 02:33 −0.3 mHigh 09:01 +0.4 mLow 15:03 −0.3 mHigh 21:21 +0.4 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

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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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

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Tigertail

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

The spot faces SW (246°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (66°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 5.0 km out (1 in 500). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 20°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 31°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Marco Island, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 25°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$1,140–US$2,040 each

about US$1,140–US$2,040 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 RSW, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$194–US$402
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$1,140–US$2,040

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Marco Island

Closest

Marco Island

about 5 min by car · 28 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 28 places to stay in Marco Island · Booking.com

About Marco Island 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 6h 10m

About 6h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → RSW, direct, then 1h 25m by road

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