Staying Home Sucks, home
Pigeon guillemot on the Northern California coast
Near Dry Lagoon. Photo: Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Dry Lagoon

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

59Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 7 ft swell at 12 s, 3 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 84 out of 100

Swell
7 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,471kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 78 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
768kJ
Wind
SSE 3 kn
Temp
14°C

Thu 5 · 57 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
923kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
14°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,547kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
15°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
12 ft12 ssoft
Energy
3,755kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
15°C

Sun 8 · 75 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
935kJ
Wind
S 1 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 15 out of 100

Swell
9 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,430kJ
Wind
SSW 9 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 286, good
  2. Tue 384, good
  3. Wed 478, good
  4. Thu 557, fair
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 875, good
  8. Mon 915, poor
  9. Tue 100, too big
  10. Wed 110, too big

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 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
  • Best in Sep3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Dry Lagoon, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov86, good7 ft15 scrumbling12 ft at break (est.)2,144kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots14°C
Tue 3Nov84, good7 ft12 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,471kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore16°C
Wed 4Nov78, good7 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)768kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots14°C
Thu 5Nov57, fair7 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)923kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore14°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big10 ft12 ssoft14 ft at break (est.)2,547kJwind from the east, 3 knots15°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big12 ft12 ssoft16 ft at break (est.)3,755kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots15°C
Sun 8Nov75, good7 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)935kJwind from the south, 1 knot16°C
Mon 9Nov15, poor9 ft10 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,430kJwind from the south-south-west, 9 knots15°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big13 ft12 ssoft17 ft at break (est.)4,232kJwind from the south-south-east, 18 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big11 ft10 ssoft14 ft at break (est.)2,258kJwind from the south-south-east, 13 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 06:06 +0.6 mLow 11:36 −0.2 mHigh 17:11 +0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 00:03 −1.1 mHigh 06:57 +0.7 mLow 12:54 −0.5 mHigh 18:38 +0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 01:02 −0.9 mHigh 07:42 +0.8 mLow 13:58 −0.7 mHigh 19:56 +0.6 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.

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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Dry Lagoon

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

The spot faces W (285°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (105°). 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 450 m out (1 in 44). 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 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Orick, 8.1 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,130–US$2,050 each

about US$1,130–US$2,050 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 ACV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DEN, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$262–US$543
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$81–US$127
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$1,130–US$2,050

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

Orick

about 15 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Orick · Booking.com

About Orick 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 10h 40m

About 10h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ACV, changing at Denver International Airport (DEN), then 55 min by road

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

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