Staying Home Sucks, home
Pier on Ocean Beach - panoramio
OB pier. Photo: Alen Ištoković, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

OB pier

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

63Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 5 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 51 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
248kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 72 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
54kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 70 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
238kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 43 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
129kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 64 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
270kJ
Wind
NE 5 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 52 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
167kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
24°C

Mon 9 · 61 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
249kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
24°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 351, fair
  2. Wed 472, good
  3. Thu 570, good
  4. Fri 643, poor
  5. Sat 764, good
  6. Sun 852, fair
  7. Mon 961, good
  8. Tue 1078, good
  9. Wed 1171, good
  10. Thu 1269, 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.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at OB pier, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov51, fair3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)248kJwind from the east, 1 knot, offshore22°C
Wed 4Nov72, good4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)54kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov70, good4 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)238kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore22°C
Fri 6Nov43, poor3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)129kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore23°C
Sat 7Nov64, good4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)270kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore24°C
Sun 8Nov52, fair3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)167kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore24°C
Mon 9Nov61, good3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)249kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots24°C
Tue 10Nov78, good4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)302kJwind from the east, 2 knots, offshore24°C
Wed 11Nov71, good4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)284kJwind from the west-north-west, 3 knots24°C
Thu 12Nov69, good3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)161kJwind from the north-east, 2 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

  • 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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

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 OB pier

Storm hits Ocean Beach, California - panoramio
Photo: Bengt Nyman, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ocean Beach north - panoramio
Photo: Alen Ištoković, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ocean Beach Oktoberfest 2025
Photo: Blervis, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

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 3 November 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$20–US$34
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$1,060–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

Closest

San Diego

13 min by car · 185 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 185 places to stay in San Diego · Booking.com

About San Diego 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 30m

About 6h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 25 min 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.