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Imperial Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 283kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 240kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 286kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 187kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 269kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 221kJ
- Wind
- ENE 0 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 200kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 324, too small
- Wed 430, too small
- Thu 544, too small
- Fri 615, too small
- Sat 735, too small
- Sun 829, too small
- Mon 915, too small
- Tue 1036, too small
- Wed 1136, too small
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 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Nov5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 283kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 240kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 44, too small | 5 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 286kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 187kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 35, too small | 4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 269kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 221kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 0 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 200kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 36, too small | 4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 308kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 36, too small | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 328kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot | 25°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 05:04 +0.6 mLow 10:53 −0.3 mHigh 16:36 +0.5 mLow 23:05 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:39 +0.7 mLow 11:50 −0.5 mHigh 17:43 +0.6 mLow 23:48 −0.7 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 06:11 +0.8 mLow 12:37 −0.7 mHigh 18:39 +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.
Best time to go
best in Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Imperial Beach on Google Maps · Directions
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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Photos of Imperial Beach
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More surf near here
5 places
- Sloughs 3.6 km away
- Playas de Tijuana 5.8 km away
- Coronado 13.1 km away
- Baja Malibu 18.1 km away
- Pianos 19.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Imperial Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (249°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (69°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 156). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually November, with about 5 good days in 7; in March, April and May, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Imperial Beach, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 2 wind sports spots.
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$1,970 each
about US$1,080–US$1,970 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$517 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$74 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$302–US$503 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$148–US$242 |
| Total | about US$1,080–US$1,970 |
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
about 5 min by car · 12 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Imperial Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tijuana on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 136 places to stay · about US$67 a night, country average
- Beds in Coronado on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 43 places to stay · about US$114 a night, country average
Room prices are our estimate of a 2-star double room's average in each country that month, 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 40m
About 6h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 40 min by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.