Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 6 ft swell at 11 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 423kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 530kJ
- Wind
- WNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 605kJ
- Wind
- NW 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 409kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 414kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 610kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 400kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 110, too small
- Mon 236, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 418, poor
- Thu 551, fair
- Fri 623, too small
- Sat 757, fair
- Sun 844, too small
- Mon 941, too small
- Tue 1049, fair
The spot in six 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
- Best in Nov4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 10, too small | 4 ft13 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 490kJ | wind from the north-west, 17 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 36, too small | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 423kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 4 ft14 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 530kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 18, poor | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 605kJ | wind from the north-west, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 409kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft14 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 414kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 57, fair | 6 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 610kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 44, too small | 5 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 400kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 41, too small | 5 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 432kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 49, fair | 5 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 482kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 0 knots | 20°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 03:42 +0.3 mLow 07:43 +0.1 mHigh 13:43 +0.6 mLow 21:22 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:33 +0.4 mLow 09:40 −0.1 mHigh 15:20 +0.5 mLow 22:22 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:12 +0.5 mLow 10:59 −0.3 mHigh 16:43 +0.5 mLow 23:12 −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
best in Nov
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
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 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
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 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
A Frames 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About A Frames
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (241°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (61°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually November, with about 4 good days in 7; in March, April and August, about 2. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Nearest beds: Avalon California, 52 km. Nearest airport: John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA), 106 km.
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$891–US$1,650 each
about US$891–US$1,650 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 LGB, 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 |
| 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$891–US$1,650 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 52 km away
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Avalon California, 52 km. Nearest airport: John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA), 106 km.
See places to stay near Avalon California, 52 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 8h 15m
About 8h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → LGB, direct, then 2h 10m by road
Flights MDW → LGB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.