Staying Home Sucks, home
Ocean City beach and pier MD2
Near Inlet Shoals. Photo: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Inlet Shoals

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

61Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 7 s, 4 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 17 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 s
Energy
19kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 s
Energy
22kJ
Wind
S 6 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 57 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 s
Energy
75kJ
Wind
SSW 9 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 56 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 s
Energy
125kJ
Wind
SSW 11 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 84 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 s
Energy
150kJ
Wind
WNW 9 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 82 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 s
Energy
161kJ
Wind
WNW 12 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 54 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 s
Energy
90kJ
Wind
WNW 12 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 317, too small
  2. Wed 419, too small
  3. Thu 557, fair
  4. Fri 656, fair
  5. Sat 784, good
  6. Sun 882, good
  7. Mon 954, fair
  8. Tue 1017, too small
  9. Wed 1112, too small
  10. Thu 126, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °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 intermediate surfers at Inlet Shoals, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov17, too small1 ft9 s2 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore17°C
Wed 4Nov19, too small2 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the south, 6 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov57, fair3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the south-south-west, 9 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov56, fair4 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.)125kJwind from the south-south-west, 11 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov84, good4 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.)150kJwind from the west-north-west, 9 knots, offshore19°C
Sun 8Nov82, good4 ft8 s5 ft at break (est.)161kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore16°C
Mon 9Nov54, fair3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.)90kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore15°C
Tue 10Nov17, too small2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the south-west, 13 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov12, too small1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore17°C
Thu 12Nov6, too small1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the north, 11 knots12°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 02:13 +0.5 mLow 08:19 −0.5 mHigh 14:43 +0.6 mLow 21:02 −0.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:16 +0.5 mLow 09:26 −0.5 mHigh 15:43 +0.6 mLow 21:54 −0.5 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 04:12 +0.6 mLow 10:26 −0.5 mHigh 16:36 +0.5 mLow 22:41 −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, 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 Inlet Shoals

Occean City beach and pier MD1
Near Inlet Shoals. Photo: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ocean City beach 3
Near Inlet Shoals. Photo: APK, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dawn Ocean City MD1
Near Inlet Shoals. Photo: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Inlet Shoals

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

The spot faces E (108°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (288°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 24°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ocean City, 1.5 km away (3 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 15°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$1,090–US$1,940 each

about US$1,090–US$1,940 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 3 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to BWI, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$148–US$308
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$241
Totalabout US$1,090–US$1,940

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

Ocean City

3 min by car · 130 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 130 places to stay in Ocean City · Booking.com

About Ocean City 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 3 November 2026.

Getting there: about 6h 55m

About 6h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → BWI, direct, then 3h 10m by road

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

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