Big River
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
76Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 10 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 2,097kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 1,450kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 1,032kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 609kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 2,523kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 2,500kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 1,207kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 279, good
- Tue 363, good
- Wed 475, good
- Thu 555, fair
- Fri 678, good
- Sat 781, good
- Sun 878, good
- Mon 981, good
- Tue 1027, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
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 | 79, good | 7 ft15 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 2,097kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 63, good | 7 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 1,450kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 75, good | 8 ft9 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 1,032kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 55, fair | 6 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 609kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 78, good | 10 ft11 shollow10 ft at break (est.) | 2,523kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 81, good | 10 ft11 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 2,500kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 78, good | 8 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 1,207kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 81, good | 9 ft10 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 1,726kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 27, too small | 6 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 564kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 15°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 05:51 +0.6 mLow 11:17 −0.1 mHigh 16:48 +0.6 mLow 23:46 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:38 +0.7 mLow 12:34 −0.4 mHigh 18:14 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:42 −0.8 mHigh 07:20 +0.8 mLow 13:36 −0.6 mHigh 19:30 +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
Big River 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 Big River
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More surf near here
3 places
- Caspar 7.3 km away
- Jug Handle State Beach 8 km away
- Hare Creek 12.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Big River
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (231°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (51°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 11). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in September, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Mendocino, 0.1 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 13°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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SMF, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$523 |
| 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$1,200–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: 2 towns
1 min by car · 36 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Mendocino its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Fort Bragg on Booking.com
27 min by car · 28 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 10h
About 10h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SMF, direct, then 3h 50m by road
Flights MDW → SMF 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.