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?

66Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Tue 3: 6 ft swell at 13 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 76 out of 100

Swell
6 ft13 ssoft
Energy
1,234kJ
Wind
SE 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 54 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 ssoft
Energy
844kJ
Wind
WNW 3 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 33 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 ssoft
Energy
470kJ
Wind
WNW 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 72 out of 100

Swell
9 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,719kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 72 out of 100

Swell
9 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,863kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 62 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
619kJ
Wind
ESE 2 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 63 out of 100

Swell
10 ft11 ssoft
Energy
2,222kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 376, good
  2. Wed 454, fair
  3. Thu 533, too small
  4. Fri 672, good
  5. Sat 772, good
  6. Sun 862, good
  7. Mon 963, good
  8. Tue 1072, good
  9. Wed 1148, fair

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 expert surfers at Dillon Beach, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov76, good6 ft13 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,234kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore17°C
Wed 4Nov54, fair7 ft9 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)844kJwind from the west-north-west, 3 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov33, too small5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)470kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov72, good9 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)1,719kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore19°C
Sat 7Nov72, good9 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)1,863kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots19°C
Sun 8Nov62, good6 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)619kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore17°C
Mon 9Nov63, good10 ft11 ssoft14 ft at break (est.)2,222kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov72, good8 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)1,480kJwind from the west, 4 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov48, fair9 ft10 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)1,502kJwind from the south, 7 knots18°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 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
  • Thu 5 NovLow 01:16 −0.7 mHigh 07:44 +0.8 mLow 14:15 −0.8 mHigh 20:22 +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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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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 (1 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

1 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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