Uncle Cliffy's
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
53Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 13 s
Mon 2 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 383kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 285kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 165, good
- Mon 280, good
- Tue 363, good
- Wed 451, fair
- Thu 545, fair
- Fri 630, too small
- Sat 729, too small
- Sun 822, too small
- Mon 925, too small
- Tue 1034, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 65, good | 4 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 406kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 80, good | 4 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 383kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 63, good | 3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 285kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft4 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 29, too small | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 22, too small | 1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 25°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 03:33 +0.3 mLow 07:38 +0.1 mHigh 13:39 +0.6 mLow 21:18 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:27 +0.4 mLow 09:38 −0.1 mHigh 15:17 +0.6 mLow 22:19 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.6 mLow 10:56 −0.3 mHigh 16:40 +0.5 mLow 23:10 −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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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
Uncle Cliffy's 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
5 places
- Terra Mar Cove + Point 1.5 km away
- South Carlsbad State Beach 1.7 km away
- Ponto 2.1 km away
- Warm Water Jetties 2.6 km away
- South Side 3.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Uncle Cliffy's
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (245°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (65°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 48). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Carlsbad, 5.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| 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$1,190–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
9 min by car · 37 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Carlsbad its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Encinitas on Booking.com
17 min by car · 27 places to stay
- Beds in Oceanside on Booking.com
18 min by car · 67 places to stay
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 7h 15m
About 7h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 1h 10m by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.