Staying Home Sucks, home
Tofino Beach IMG 6002a
Tofino. Photo: Christof46, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tofino

Surf spot · Canada

Is it worth the trip?

61Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sun 8: 10 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 68 out of 100

Swell
6 ft14 s
Energy
1,132kJ
Wind
ESE 8 kn
Temp
12°C

Tue 3 · 42 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 s
Energy
599kJ
Wind
ENE 6 kn
Temp
13°C

Wed 4 · 22 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 s
Energy
165kJ
Wind
SE 12 kn
Temp
11°C

Thu 5 · 64 out of 100

Swell
8 ft12 s
Energy
1,673kJ
Wind
SE 14 kn
Temp
10°C

Fri 6 · 61 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 s
Energy
2,610kJ
Wind
WNW 6 kn
Temp
10°C

Sat 7 · 61 out of 100

Swell
8 ft11 s
Energy
1,373kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
11°C

Sun 8 · 74 out of 100

Swell
10 ft11 s
Energy
2,221kJ
Wind
SE 6 kn
Temp
12°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 123, too small
  2. Mon 268, good
  3. Tue 342, too small
  4. Wed 422, too small
  5. Thu 564, good
  6. Fri 661, good
  7. Sat 761, good
  8. Sun 874, good
  9. Mon 975, good
  10. Tue 1059, fair

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 10 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Tofino does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Tofino, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov23, too small3 ft17 s5 ft at break (est.)588kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore11°C
Mon 2Nov68, good6 ft14 s7 ft at break (est.)1,132kJwind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore12°C
Tue 3Nov42, too small5 ft11 s6 ft at break (est.)599kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots13°C
Wed 4Nov22, too small4 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)165kJwind from the south-east, 12 knots, offshore11°C
Thu 5Nov64, good8 ft12 s8 ft at break (est.)1,673kJwind from the south-east, 14 knots, offshore10°C
Fri 6Nov61, good10 ft12 s10 ft at break (est.)2,610kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots10°C
Sat 7Nov61, good8 ft11 s8 ft at break (est.)1,373kJwind from the east, 5 knots11°C
Sun 8Nov74, good10 ft11 s9 ft at break (est.)2,221kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore12°C
Mon 9Nov75, good7 ft9 s6 ft at break (est.)901kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots, offshore12°C
Tue 10Nov59, fair8 ft10 s3 ft at break (est.)1,178kJwind from the south-east, 20 knots, offshore12°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 05:45 +0.7 mLow 11:02 −0.3 mHigh 16:52 +1.0 mLow 23:55 −1.4 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 06:52 +0.8 mLow 12:32 −0.4 mHigh 18:18 +0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 01:02 −1.3 mHigh 07:51 +0.9 mLow 13:53 −0.7 mHigh 19:45 +0.8 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 Tofino

View from Tofino house -Jensen's Bay
Photo: Imogene Huxham from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Let us eat, drink and surf for tomorrow we may die
Photo: dvs from Vermont, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Tofino

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

The spot faces NW (327°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (147°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in July, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Tofino, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 2 dive sites and 2 kayak spots.

Water about 10°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$1,050–US$1,920 each

about US$1,050–US$1,920 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 ORD to YVR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$523
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$275–US$456
Food7 days eating outabout US$308–US$576
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,050–US$1,920

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

Where to stay: Tofino

Closest

Tofino

1 min by car · 44 places to stay

about US$100/nightcountry average

See 44 places to stay in Tofino · Booking.com

About Tofino its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$100 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 30m

About 11h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → YVR, direct, then 3h 45m by road

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