Staying Home Sucks, home
Coast Guard Boat in Morro Bay
Widdows. Photo: Mike Baird, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Widdows

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

68Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: 9 ft swell at 12 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 48 out of 100

Swell
6 ft14 ssoft
Energy
1,111kJ
Wind
WNW 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 64 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
913kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 21 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 ssoft
Energy
288kJ
Wind
NW 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 75 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,200kJ
Wind
NNE 8 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 81 out of 100

Swell
9 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,501kJ
Wind
NE 11 kn
Temp
23°C

Sun 8 · 66 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
990kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
23°C

Mon 9 · 77 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,180kJ
Wind
S 2 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 236, too small
  2. Tue 348, fair
  3. Wed 464, good
  4. Thu 521, too small
  5. Fri 675, good
  6. Sat 781, good
  7. Sun 866, good
  8. Mon 977, good
  9. Tue 1072, good

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 4–18 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Widdows, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov36, too small3 ft15 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)435kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov48, fair6 ft14 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)1,111kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov64, good7 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)913kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore18°C
Thu 5Nov21, too small5 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)288kJwind from the north-west, 5 knots22°C
Fri 6Nov75, good7 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)1,200kJwind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore22°C
Sat 7Nov81, good9 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)2,501kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots, offshore23°C
Sun 8Nov66, good7 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)990kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore23°C
Mon 9Nov77, good7 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)1,180kJwind from the south, 2 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov72, good8 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)1,277kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots18°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 05:12 +0.5 mLow 10:27 −0.1 mHigh 15:58 +0.6 mLow 23:01 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:52 +0.6 mLow 11:42 −0.3 mHigh 17:20 +0.5 mLow 23:51 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:27 +0.7 mLow 12:41 −0.5 mHigh 18:31 +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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Widdows

Morro Bay Harbor Patrol runs out to escort fishing boat Rita G., owned by Michelle, over the harbor's dangerous bar at harbor entry.
Photo: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Coast Guard 47' Motor Lifeboat Escorts Fishing Boats 08Dec2009
Photo: Mike Baird, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Widdows

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

The spot faces SW (218°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (38°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 68). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Morro Bay, 1.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot, 1 dive site and 1 mountain bike area.

Water about 15°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$1,200–US$2,160 each

about US$1,200–US$2,160 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 SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$529
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$1,200–US$2,160

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

Morro Bay

about 5 min by car · 62 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 62 places to stay in Morro Bay · Booking.com

About Morro Bay 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 9h 10m

About 9h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 2h 45m by road

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