Death Bay
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 2 ft swell at 11 s, onshore wind, 14 kn (26 km/h)
Wed 4 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 142kJ
- Wind
- ENE 14 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- ENE 15 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Mon 9 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- E 13 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 10 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 38, too small
- Wed 445, fair
- Thu 542, too small
- Fri 628, too small
- Sat 723, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 1022, too small
- Wed 1133, poor
- Thu 1216, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best in Apr2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Death Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the north-east, 16 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 45, fair | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 142kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 15 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the east, 13 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 33, poor | 4 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 13°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 24 knots | 9°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 05:55 −1.7 mHigh 12:02 +2.0 mLow 18:47 −2.0 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:48 +1.8 mLow 07:17 −1.9 mHigh 13:20 +2.2 mLow 19:58 −2.2 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 01:59 +2.0 mLow 08:22 −2.2 mHigh 14:24 +2.5 mLow 20:55 −2.5 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.
Best time to go
best in Apr
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
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 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
Death Bay on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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Photos of Death Bay
More surf near here
5 places
- Daymer Bay 1.4 km away
- Trevone 5 km away
- Harlyn Bay 6.2 km away
- Mother Ivey's (spot M) 7.3 km away
- Boobies 8.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Death Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (294°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (114°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 38). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in July, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 2 good days in 7; in July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Padstow, 3.7 km away (28 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 14°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$1,230–US$2,290 each
about US$1,230–US$2,290 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 3 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to NQY, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$436–US$899 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$107 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$282–US$469 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,230–US$2,290 |
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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2 min by car · 27 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Polzeath its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in New Polzeath on Booking.com
7 min by car · 25 places to stay
- Beds in Port Isaac on Booking.com
15 min by car · 38 places to stay
About US$107 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 3 November 2026.
Getting there: about 16h 25m
About 16h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → NQY on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
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.