Venice Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
70Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 7 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 1,044kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 988kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 432kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,527kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,793kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 666kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Mon 9 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,128kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 254, fair
- Tue 341, poor
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 539, too small
- Fri 679, good
- Sat 774, good
- Sun 857, fair
- Mon 980, good
- Tue 1033, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Oct–Nov3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 54, fair | 6 ft15 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 1,537kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 41, poor | 7 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 1,044kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 8 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 988kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 39, too small | 5 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 432kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 79, good | 8 ft11 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 1,527kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 74, good | 9 ft11 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 1,793kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 57, fair | 6 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 666kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 80, good | 7 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 1,128kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 33, poor | 7 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 1,117kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots | 17°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 NovHigh 05:30 +0.5 mLow 10:50 −0.1 mHigh 16:21 +0.6 mLow 23:19 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:13 +0.6 mLow 12:06 −0.3 mHigh 17:46 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:13 −0.8 mHigh 06:52 +0.7 mLow 13:07 −0.6 mHigh 19:01 +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.
Best time to go
best Oct–Nov
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
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 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
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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, its town, photos
Venice Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Venice Beach
More surf near here
5 places
- Roosevelt Beach 1.1 km away
- Francis Beach 1.2 km away
- El Granada 2.9 km away
- Princeton Breakwater 3 km away
- Mavericks 3.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Venice Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (234°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (54°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 73). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually October and November, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Half Moon Bay, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 14°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$1,090–US$1,980 each
about US$1,090–US$1,980 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 SFO, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$261–US$536 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$60 |
| 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$1,090–US$1,980 |
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
1 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Half Moon Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Montara on Booking.com
16 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Pacifica on Booking.com
24 min by car · 11 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 6h 55m
About 6h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SFO, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → SFO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.