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Coquina Beach Ocean View 04-04-2020
Coquina Beach. Photo: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Coquina Beach

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

58Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 s
Energy
14kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 39 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 s
Energy
45kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 70 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 s
Energy
101kJ
Wind
SSE 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 61 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 s
Energy
121kJ
Wind
SSE 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 64 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 s
Energy
92kJ
Wind
WSW 6 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 70 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 s
Energy
132kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Mon 9 · 32 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
60kJ
Wind
WNW 20 kn
Temp
16°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 218, too small
  2. Tue 39, too small
  3. Wed 439, poor
  4. Thu 570, good
  5. Fri 661, good
  6. Sat 764, good
  7. Sun 870, good
  8. Mon 932, too small
  9. Tue 1021, too small
  10. Wed 117, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Coquina Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Coquina Beach, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov18, too small2 ft4 s3 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the north-north-east, 9 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov9, too small1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov39, poor3 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.)45kJwind from the east, 4 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov70, good4 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.)101kJwind from the south-south-east, 7 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov61, good4 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.)121kJwind from the south-south-east, 8 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov64, good3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore19°C
Sun 8Nov70, good3 ft8 s5 ft at break (est.)132kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots, offshore18°C
Mon 9Nov32, too small2 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the west-north-west, 20 knots, offshore16°C
Tue 10Nov21, too small1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the west, 6 knots, offshore15°C
Wed 11Nov7, too small1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.)12kJwind from the north-north-west, 14 knots16°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 00:58 +0.4 mLow 06:54 −0.4 mHigh 13:24 +0.6 mLow 19:48 −0.4 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:05 +0.5 mLow 08:07 −0.4 mHigh 14:28 +0.5 mLow 20:45 −0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:07 +0.5 mLow 09:16 −0.4 mHigh 15:28 +0.5 mLow 21:37 −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 beginners: 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 Coquina Beach

Outer Banks - Beach
Photo: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Outer Banks - Laura A. Barnes Shipwreck
Photo: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Coquina Beach

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

The spot faces E (68°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (248°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 26°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Wanchese, 7.3 km away (about 15 min by car).

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,100–US$1,960 each

about US$1,100–US$1,960 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 MDW to ORF, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$154–US$322
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$1,100–US$1,960

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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Wanchese

about 15 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Wanchese · Booking.com

About Wanchese 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 6h 30m

About 6h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ORF, direct, then 2h 35m by road

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.