Crystal Pier
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
21Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 100kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 132kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Mon 9 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 312, too small
- Wed 418, too small
- Thu 527, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 727, too small
- Sun 818, too small
- Mon 915, too small
- Tue 109, too small
- Wed 116, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 18, too small | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 22°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 NovHigh 01:54 +0.6 mLow 08:10 −0.6 mHigh 14:21 +0.7 mLow 20:48 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:58 +0.7 mLow 09:15 −0.6 mHigh 15:20 +0.7 mLow 21:41 −0.7 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 03:55 +0.7 mLow 10:14 −0.6 mHigh 16:13 +0.6 mLow 22:29 −0.7 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec1of 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, its town, photos
Crystal Pier 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 Crystal Pier
More surf near here
5 places
- Masonborough Island 1.1 km away
- South End 1.2 km away
- Columbia St. 2.2 km away
- Mercer Pier 2.9 km away
- Shell Island 4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Crystal Pier
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (119°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (299°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.2 km out (1 in 217). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 28°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Wrightsville Beach, 1.9 km away (3 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.
Water about 19°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$980–US$1,760 each
about US$980–US$1,760 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to ILM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$335 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$302–US$503 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$148–US$242 |
| Total | about US$980–US$1,760 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Wrightsville Beach
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
3 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Wrightsville Beach 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 4h 45m
About 4h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ILM, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → ILM on your dates · AviasalesAd
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.