Staying Home Sucks, home
Sheared Greywacke Sandstone
Near Cayucos, 1 km away. Photo: Joyce Cory on Flickr as docentjoyce, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Cayucos

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

Mon 2 · 35 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
324kJ
Wind
NNE 6 kn
Temp
20°C

Tue 3 · 50 out of 100

Swell
6 ft14 scrumbling
Energy
1,111kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 71 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
962kJ
Wind
ENE 6 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 46 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 ssoft
Energy
404kJ
Wind
NE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 79 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,107kJ
Wind
NNE 6 kn
Temp
24°C

Sat 7 · 82 out of 100

Swell
9 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,982kJ
Wind
NE 9 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 67 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
944kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
25°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 235, too small
  2. Tue 350, fair
  3. Wed 471, good
  4. Thu 546, fair
  5. Fri 679, good
  6. Sat 782, good
  7. Sun 867, good
  8. Mon 981, good
  9. Tue 1072, good
  10. Wed 1183, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Jul–Oct4 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Cayucos, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov35, too small3 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)324kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore20°C
Tue 3Nov50, fair6 ft14 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)1,111kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov71, good7 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)962kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore19°C
Thu 5Nov46, fair6 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)404kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore22°C
Fri 6Nov79, good7 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)1,107kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore24°C
Sat 7Nov82, good9 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)1,982kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore27°C
Sun 8Nov67, good7 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)944kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore25°C
Mon 9Nov81, good8 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)1,478kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov72, good7 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)927kJwind from the south, 1 knot19°C
Wed 11Nov83, good8 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)1,534kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore20°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 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.

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Cayucos

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

The spot faces SW (227°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (47°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 48). 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). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually July, August, September and October, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cayucos, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

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$2,170 each

about US$1,200–US$2,170 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 2 November 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$530
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$302–US$503
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$148–US$242
Totalabout US$1,200–US$2,170

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

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Closest

Cayucos

about 5 min by car · 19 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 19 places to stay in Cayucos · Booking.com

About Cayucos 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 9h 15m

About 9h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 2h 50m by road

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

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