Manchester Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 7 ft swell at 13 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 85 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,480kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,200kJ
- Wind
- E 1 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 990kJ
- Wind
- NNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,591kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 12 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 3,520kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 898kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 11 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,599kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 282, good
- Tue 385, good
- Wed 451, fair
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 854, fair
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 82, good | 7 ft16 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.) | 1,999kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 85, good | 7 ft13 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 1,480kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 51, fair | 9 ft9 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 1,200kJ | offshorewind from the east, 1 knot, offshore | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 7 ft11 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 990kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft12 ssoft14 ft at break (est.) | 2,591kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 12 ft12 ssoft15 ft at break (est.) | 3,520kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 54, fair | 7 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 898kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 11 ft11 ssoft14 ft at break (est.) | 2,599kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 11 ft12 ssoft15 ft at break (est.) | 3,420kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft10 ssoft12 ft at break (est.) | 1,792kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 16°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 05:48 +0.6 mLow 11:14 −0.1 mHigh 16:44 +0.6 mLow 23:42 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:35 +0.6 mLow 12:30 −0.4 mHigh 18:09 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:37 −0.8 mHigh 07:16 +0.7 mLow 13:33 −0.6 mHigh 19:26 +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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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 and its town
Manchester 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.
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
3 places
- Point Arena Cove 6.6 km away
- Moat creek 10 km away
- Schooners Gulch 11.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Manchester Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (290°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (110°). 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 500 m out (1 in 49). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in September, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Point Arena, 6.8 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 13°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$1,200–US$2,160 each
about US$1,200–US$2,160 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SMF, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$523 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$1,200–US$2,160 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Point Arena
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 15 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Point Arena 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 9h 40m
About 9h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SMF, direct, then 3h 30m by road
Flights MDW → SMF 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.