Staying Home Sucks, home
Aerial image of Heligoland
Helgoland, the nearest town. Photo: Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Helgoland

Surf spot · Germany

Is it worth the trip?

6Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 5 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 s
Energy
32kJ
Wind
ENE 19 kn
Temp
12°C

Wed 4 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 s
Energy
5kJ
Wind
E 10 kn
Temp
10°C

Thu 5 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 s
Energy
2kJ
Wind
ENE 13 kn
Temp
9°C

Fri 6 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 s
Energy
5kJ
Wind
E 14 kn
Temp
9°C

Sat 7 · 2 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
6kJ
Wind
ESE 12 kn
Temp
8°C

Sun 8 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 s
Energy
9kJ
Wind
SE 11 kn
Temp
7°C

Mon 9 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 s
Energy
7kJ
Wind
E 13 kn
Temp
7°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 227, too small
  2. Tue 315, too small
  3. Wed 44, too small
  4. Thu 53, too small
  5. Fri 63, too small
  6. Sat 72, too small
  7. Sun 83, too small
  8. Mon 95, too small
  9. Tue 101, too small
  10. Wed 114, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Helgoland, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov27, too small4 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the north-north-east, 15 knots, offshore13°C
Tue 3Nov15, too small3 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)32kJwind from the east-north-east, 19 knots, offshore12°C
Wed 4Nov4, too small1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the east, 10 knots, offshore10°C
Thu 5Nov3, too small1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots, offshore9°C
Fri 6Nov3, too small1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the east, 14 knots, offshore9°C
Sat 7Nov2, too small1 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the east-south-east, 12 knots8°C
Sun 8Nov3, too small1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the south-east, 11 knots7°C
Mon 9Nov5, too small1 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the east, 13 knots, offshore7°C
Tue 10Nov1, too smallunder 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the east-south-east, 11 knots8°C
Wed 11Nov4, too small1 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the east-south-east, 17 knots, offshore7°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 04:20 +1.3 mLow 11:14 −1.2 mHigh 17:03 +0.9 mLow 23:36 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:26 +1.1 mLow 12:24 −1.1 mHigh 18:16 +0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:45 −0.9 mHigh 06:41 +1.1 mLow 13:34 −1.1 mHigh 19:36 +0.8 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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Flugplatz Helgoland Webcam, 2 km away

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About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Helgoland

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

The spot faces SW (237°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (57°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Helgoland, 0.2 km away (1 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 11°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$1,260–US$2,350 each

about US$1,260–US$2,350 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 ORD to GWT, estimated from distance and season, changing at FRA, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$463–US$966
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$148–US$248
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$268–US$443
Food7 days eating outabout US$295–US$550
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,260–US$2,350

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Helgoland

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Closest

Helgoland

1 min by car · 111 places to stay

about US$101/nightcountry average

See 111 places to stay in Helgoland · Booking.com

About Helgoland its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$101 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 19h

About 19h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → GWT, changing at Frankfurt Main Airport (FRA), then 1h 50m by road

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

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