Staying Home Sucks, home
Pacific Beach 5 2014-02-24
Diamond Street. Photo: F ASTILY, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Diamond Street

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

60Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 13 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 77 out of 100

Swell
4 ft13 ssoft
Energy
366kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Tue 3 · 59 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
276kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 64 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
50kJ
Wind
WSW 2 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 64 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
170kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 32 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
77kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 38 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
109kJ
Wind
NNW 1 kn
Temp
23°C

Sun 8 · 44 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
110kJ
Wind
S 1 kn
Temp
24°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 277, good
  2. Tue 359, fair
  3. Wed 464, good
  4. Thu 564, good
  5. Fri 632, too small
  6. Sat 738, too small
  7. Sun 844, too small
  8. Mon 931, too small
  9. Tue 1059, fair
  10. Wed 1156, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Jan, May3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Diamond Street, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov77, good4 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)366kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov59, fair3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)276kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore21°C
Wed 4Nov64, good4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots21°C
Thu 5Nov64, good3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)170kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore22°C
Fri 6Nov32, too small3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)77kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore23°C
Sat 7Nov38, too small2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)109kJwind from the north-north-west, 1 knot23°C
Sun 8Nov44, too small2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)110kJwind from the south, 1 knot24°C
Mon 9Nov31, too small2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the west, 2 knots24°C
Tue 10Nov59, fair3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)172kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore23°C
Wed 11Nov56, fair3 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot21°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 04:25 +0.4 mLow 09:36 −0.1 mHigh 15:16 +0.6 mLow 22:17 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:05 +0.6 mLow 10:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:38 +0.5 mLow 23:07 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:40 +0.7 mLow 11:51 −0.5 mHigh 17:45 +0.5 mLow 23:50 −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.

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 Diamond Street

Pacific Beach 2 2014-02-24
Photo: F ASTILY, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
San Diego Strand Mission Beach
Photo: Dronepicr, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Surfer III
Photo: Davide D'Amico from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Diamond Street

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

The spot faces W (251°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (71°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 72). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and May, with about 3 good days in 7; in August, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is San Diego. Within 5 km we also list 27 surf spots, 3 wind sports spots and 3 dive sites.

Water about 18°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$1,060–US$1,940 each

about US$1,060–US$1,940 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$517
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$40
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$1,060–US$1,940

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

San Diego

about 25 min by car · 185 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 185 places to stay in San Diego · Booking.com

About San Diego its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: San Diego, 13 km (about 25 min by car)

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 35m

About 6h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 30 min by road

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

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