Staying Home Sucks, home
Crescent City California harbor aerial view
Crescent City, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Whaler Island

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

73Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 2: 7 ft swell at 14 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 80 out of 100

Swell
7 ft14 ssoft
Energy
2,012kJ
Wind
SSW 1 kn
Temp
15°C

Tue 3 · 66 out of 100

Swell
7 ft13 ssoft
Energy
1,347kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
14°C

Wed 4 · 49 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
657kJ
Wind
ESE 1 kn
Temp
15°C

Thu 5 · 64 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 ssoft
Energy
820kJ
Wind
WNW 2 kn
Temp
14°C

Fri 6 · 79 out of 100

Swell
9 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,105kJ
Wind
NNW 6 kn
Temp
15°C

Sat 7 · 75 out of 100

Swell
10 ft11 ssoft
Energy
2,456kJ
Wind
ESE 2 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 72 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,178kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 121, too small
  2. Mon 280, good
  3. Tue 366, good
  4. Wed 449, fair
  5. Thu 564, good
  6. Fri 679, good
  7. Sat 775, good
  8. Sun 872, good
  9. Mon 974, good
  10. Tue 1027, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °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.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Whaler Island, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov21, too small2 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)146kJwind from the east, 2 knots14°C
Mon 2Nov80, good7 ft14 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)2,012kJwind from the south-south-west, 1 knot15°C
Tue 3Nov66, good7 ft13 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,347kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots14°C
Wed 4Nov49, fair6 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)657kJwind from the east-south-east, 1 knot15°C
Thu 5Nov64, good7 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)820kJwind from the west-north-west, 2 knots14°C
Fri 6Nov79, good9 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)2,105kJwind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore15°C
Sat 7Nov75, good10 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)2,456kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov72, good8 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,178kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots15°C
Mon 9Nov74, good9 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,522kJwind from the east-north-east, 0 knots16°C
Tue 10Nov27, poor7 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)753kJwind from the south-south-east, 10 knots15°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 05:09 +0.6 mLow 10:11 −0.1 mHigh 15:49 +0.8 mLow 23:04 −1.2 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 06:09 +0.6 mLow 11:40 −0.2 mHigh 17:16 +0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 00:08 −1.1 mHigh 07:01 +0.7 mLow 12:58 −0.5 mHigh 18:43 +0.6 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 experts: 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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Whaler Island

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

The spot faces S (178°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (358°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 161). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Crescent City, 1.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 12°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$1,210–US$2,180 each

about US$1,210–US$2,180 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 ACV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DEN, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$261–US$543
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$1,210–US$2,180

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

Closest

Crescent City

3 min by car · 35 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 35 places to stay in Crescent City · Booking.com

About Crescent City 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 11h 30m

About 11h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ACV, changing at Denver International Airport (DEN), then 1h 45m by road

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