Staying Home Sucks, home
Waves crashing on rocks at Windansea Beach, San Diego, California
Middles. Photo: Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Middles

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

51Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 53 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
283kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 62 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
58kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 69 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
157kJ
Wind
NNW 2 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 24 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
72kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 43 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
129kJ
Wind
NNW 7 kn
Temp
23°C

Sun 8 · 38 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
97kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
24°C

Mon 9 · 28 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
67kJ
Wind
E 2 kn
Temp
24°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 271, good
  2. Tue 353, fair
  3. Wed 462, good
  4. Thu 569, good
  5. Fri 624, too small
  6. Sat 743, too small
  7. Sun 838, too small
  8. Mon 928, too small
  9. Tue 1040, 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 Jan, May3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Middles, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov71, good4 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)371kJwind from the east, 6 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov53, fair3 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)283kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore21°C
Wed 4Nov62, good4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)58kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore21°C
Thu 5Nov69, good4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)157kJwind from the north-north-west, 2 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov24, too small2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.)72kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore22°C
Sat 7Nov43, too small2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)129kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots23°C
Sun 8Nov38, too small2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)97kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore24°C
Mon 9Nov28, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)67kJwind from the east, 2 knots, offshore24°C
Tue 10Nov40, too small2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)90kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots23°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 04:26 +0.4 mLow 09:38 −0.1 mHigh 15:17 +0.6 mLow 22:19 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.6 mLow 10:56 −0.3 mHigh 16:39 +0.5 mLow 23:09 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:42 +0.7 mLow 11:53 −0.5 mHigh 17:46 +0.5 mLow 23:52 −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 Middles

Windansea Beach - 5
Photo: RightCowLeftCoast, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Houses along the beach in La Jolla
Photo: Jonathan Schilling, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Middles

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

The spot faces W (263°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (83°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 28). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and May, with about 3 good days in 7; in August, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Del Mar. Within 5 km we also list 26 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 3 dive sites.

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$1,070–US$1,950 each

about US$1,070–US$1,950 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 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$516
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$33–US$54
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,070–US$1,950

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

Del Mar

about 25 min by car · 10 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 10 places to stay in Del Mar · Booking.com

About Del Mar its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Del Mar, 14 km (about 25 min by car)

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 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 6h 35m

About 6h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 35 min by road

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

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