OB pier
Surf spot · United States
That date has passed, so this trip starts today.
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 267kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 237kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 156kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 259kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 151kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 147kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 354, fair
- Wed 475, good
- Thu 567, good
- Fri 654, fair
- Sat 766, good
- Sun 856, fair
- Mon 949, fair
- Tue 1083, good
- Wed 1178, good
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 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
OB pier does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 75, good | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 67, good | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 237kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 156kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 66, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 259kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 151kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 49, fair | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 147kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 83, good | 4 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 262kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 78, good | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 22°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 05:05 +0.6 mLow 10:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:38 +0.5 mLow 23:07 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:40 +0.7 mLow 11:51 −0.5 mHigh 17:45 +0.5 mLow 23:50 −0.7 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 06:13 +0.8 mLow 12:39 −0.7 mHigh 18:41 +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.
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).
- 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
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 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
OB pier on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of OB pier
More surf near here
5 places
- O.B. 0.2 km away
- Avalanche 0.5 km away
- O.B. Jetty 0.8 km away
- Pescedero (Pesky) 0.9 km away
- South Mission beach 2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About OB pier
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (262°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (82°). 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 750 m out (1 in 76). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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). The town to stay in is San Diego, 9.2 km away (13 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 19 surf spots, 5 wind sports spots, 3 dive sites and 1 kayak spot.
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$1,060–US$1,930 each
about US$1,060–US$1,930 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$20–US$34 |
| 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$1,060–US$1,930 |
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
13 min by car · 185 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About San Diego its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Coronado on Booking.com
19 min by car · 43 places to stay
- Beds in Imperial Beach on Booking.com
28 min by car · 12 places to stay
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 6h 30m
About 6h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 25 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.