Staying Home Sucks, home
Crescent City California harbor aerial view
Crescent City, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Crescent City South Beach

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

71Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Fri 6: 12 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 71 out of 100

Swell
7 ft13 ssoft
Energy
1,433kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 55 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 ssoft
Energy
459kJ
Wind
SSE 2 kn
Temp
15°C

Thu 5 · 76 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,048kJ
Wind
WSW 0 kn
Temp
15°C

Fri 6 · 82 out of 100

Swell
12 ft12 ssoft
Energy
3,772kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 70 out of 100

Swell
12 ft11 ssoft
Energy
3,153kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 62 out of 100

Swell
12 ft11 ssoft
Energy
3,020kJ
Wind
S 2 kn
Temp
14°C

Mon 9 · 60 out of 100

Swell
9 ft10 smushy
Energy
1,458kJ
Wind
S 6 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 371, good
  2. Wed 455, fair
  3. Thu 576, good
  4. Fri 682, good
  5. Sat 770, good
  6. Sun 862, good
  7. Mon 960, good
  8. Tue 1027, poor
  9. Wed 1121, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 6–20 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Crescent City South Beach does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Crescent City South Beach, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov71, good7 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)1,433kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots16°C
Wed 4Nov55, fair6 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)459kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots15°C
Thu 5Nov76, good8 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)1,048kJwind from the west-south-west, 0 knots15°C
Fri 6Nov82, good12 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)3,772kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov70, good12 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)3,153kJwind from the east, 1 knot16°C
Sun 8Nov62, good12 ft11 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)3,020kJwind from the south, 2 knots14°C
Mon 9Nov60, good9 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.)1,458kJwind from the south, 6 knots15°C
Tue 10Nov27, poor12 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.)2,605kJwind from the south, 13 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov21, poor9 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.)1,950kJwind from the south, 31 knots15°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

  • Tue 3 NovLow 00:08 −1.1 mHigh 07:01 +0.7 mLow 12:58 −0.5 mHigh 18:43 +0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 01:07 −1.0 mHigh 07:46 +0.8 mLow 14:02 −0.7 mHigh 20:01 +0.6 m
  • Thu 5 NovLow 02:01 −0.8 mHigh 08:27 +0.9 mLow 14:56 −1.0 mHigh 21:07 +0.6 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 intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Crescent City South Beach

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

The spot faces SW (207°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (27°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.3 km out (1 in 233). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Crescent City, 2.5 km away (4 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,210–US$2,180 each

about US$1,210–US$2,180 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 ACV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DEN, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$262–US$543
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$1,210–US$2,180

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

Crescent City

4 min by car · 35 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 35 places to stay in Crescent City · Booking.com

About Crescent City 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 11h 30m

About 11h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ACV, changing at Denver International Airport (DEN), then 1h 45m by road

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

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