Staying Home Sucks, home
Dillon Beach, California
Dillon Beach. Photo: lamblukas from San Francisco, United States, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dillon Beach

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

20Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 39 out of 100

Swell
4 ft17 scrumbling
Energy
976kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft13 ssoft
Energy
1,131kJ
Wind
SE 7 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 ssoft
Energy
846kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 62 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
186kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,723kJ
Wind
E 0 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,250kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
648kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 239, poor
  2. Tue 30, too big
  3. Wed 40, too big
  4. Thu 562, good
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 80, too big
  8. Mon 90, too big
  9. Tue 100, too big
  10. Wed 110, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Dillon Beach, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov39, poor4 ft17 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)976kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore18°C
Tue 3Nov0, too big6 ft13 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,131kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov0, too big8 ft9 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)846kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov62, good4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)186kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big8 ft12 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)1,723kJwind from the east, 0 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big10 ft12 ssoft13 ft at break (est.)2,250kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots20°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)648kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big9 ft11 ssoft13 ft at break (est.)1,950kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big9 ft12 ssoft13 ft at break (est.)2,283kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots17°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big9 ft10 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)1,560kJwind from the east, 4 knots17°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 05:42 +0.5 mLow 11:03 −0.1 mHigh 16:36 +0.6 mLow 23:32 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:27 +0.6 mLow 12:19 −0.3 mHigh 18:01 +0.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:27 −0.8 mHigh 07:07 +0.7 mLow 13:21 −0.6 mHigh 19:16 +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 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 Dillon Beach

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

The spot faces W (276°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (96°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 63). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 11°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Dillon Beach, 0 km away (about 5 min by car).

Water about 13°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$1,200–US$2,170 each

about US$1,200–US$2,170 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 OAK, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$537
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$1,200–US$2,170

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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Closest

Dillon Beach

about 5 min by car · 12 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 12 places to stay in Dillon Beach · Booking.com

About Dillon 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 8h 10m

About 8h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → OAK, direct, then 1h 50m 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.