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El Morro Cove. Photo: Roller Coaster Philosophy, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

El Morro Cove

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

43Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 66 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
241kJ
Wind
ENE 1 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 47 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
133kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
23°C

Thu 5 · 36 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
103kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 37 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
96kJ
Wind
WNW 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Sat 7 · 34 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 shollow
Energy
86kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 31 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
67kJ
Wind
NNW 0 kn
Temp
26°C

Mon 9 · 20 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 shollow
Energy
40kJ
Wind
N 1 kn
Temp
25°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 280, good
  2. Tue 366, good
  3. Wed 447, fair
  4. Thu 536, too small
  5. Fri 637, too small
  6. Sat 734, too small
  7. Sun 831, too small
  8. Mon 920, too small
  9. Tue 1023, too small
  10. Wed 1124, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–7 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at El Morro Cove, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov80, good3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)304kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore22°C
Tue 3Nov66, good3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)241kJwind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore22°C
Wed 4Nov47, fair2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)133kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore23°C
Thu 5Nov36, too small2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)103kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore24°C
Fri 6Nov37, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)96kJwind from the west-north-west, 3 knots24°C
Sat 7Nov34, too small2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)86kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots27°C
Sun 8Nov31, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)67kJwind from the north-north-west, 0 knots26°C
Mon 9Nov20, too small1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the north, 1 knot25°C
Tue 10Nov23, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)58kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots25°C
Wed 11Nov24, too small1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)42kJwind from the west, 1 knot24°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 04:30 +0.4 mLow 09:40 −0.1 mHigh 15:20 +0.6 mLow 22:23 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:11 +0.5 mLow 10:59 −0.3 mHigh 16:43 +0.5 mLow 23:13 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:46 +0.7 mLow 11:56 −0.5 mHigh 17:50 +0.5 mLow 23:56 −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 intermediates: 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 El Morro Cove

Moro Canyon Creek flows under the Pacific Coast Highway thru the Crystal Cove State Park Tunnel to empty into the Pacific Ocean at Moro Beach
Photo: Richard N Horne, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Crystal Cove State Park Trail
Photo: Richard N Horne, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About El Morro Cove

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

The spot faces SW (220°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (40°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Laguna Beach, 4.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.

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$1,080–US$1,960 each

about US$1,080–US$1,960 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 ORD to SNA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$517
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$40–US$60
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$1,080–US$1,960

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

Laguna Beach

about 10 min by car · 49 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 49 places to stay in Laguna Beach · Booking.com

About Laguna 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 6h 50m

About 6h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SNA, direct, then 35 min by road

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

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