Staying Home Sucks, home
This image is part of a series of photos around Grover Beach California of the Amtrak station and local environment - panoramio (3)
Near Oceano. Photo: Loco Steve, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Oceano

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

67Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: 7 ft swell at 12 s, 3 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 33 out of 100

Swell
4 ft16 smushy
Energy
891kJ
Wind
W 6 kn
Temp
21°C

Tue 3 · 46 out of 100

Swell
5 ft14 scrumbling
Energy
918kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 76 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
709kJ
Wind
NE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 45 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 ssoft
Energy
342kJ
Wind
NNE 7 kn
Temp
25°C

Fri 6 · 74 out of 100

Swell
7 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,266kJ
Wind
NNW 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 84 out of 100

Swell
9 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,148kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 64 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
908kJ
Wind
ENE 1 kn
Temp
25°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 231, too small
  2. Tue 347, fair
  3. Wed 470, good
  4. Thu 547, fair
  5. Fri 676, good
  6. Sat 774, good
  7. Sun 867, good
  8. Mon 975, good
  9. Tue 1077, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best in Sep3 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 expert surfers at Oceano, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov31, too small4 ft16 smushy7 ft at break (est.)891kJwind from the west, 6 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov47, fair5 ft14 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)918kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov70, good6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)709kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore22°C
Thu 5Nov47, fair5 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)342kJwind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore25°C
Fri 6Nov76, good7 ft12 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)1,266kJwind from the north-north-west, 6 knots28°C
Sat 7Nov74, good9 ft12 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)2,148kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore26°C
Sun 8Nov67, good7 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)908kJwind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore25°C
Mon 9Nov75, good7 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)1,015kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots23°C
Tue 10Nov77, good7 ft11 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)1,128kJwind from the south, 3 knots20°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 05:08 +0.5 mLow 10:25 −0.1 mHigh 15:55 +0.5 mLow 22:57 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:48 +0.6 mLow 11:39 −0.3 mHigh 17:17 +0.5 mLow 23:48 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:24 +0.7 mLow 12:38 −0.5 mHigh 18:28 +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 and its town

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.

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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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Oceano

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

The spot faces W (248°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (68°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in April, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Oceano, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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$1,200–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 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$529
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
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$1,200–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: 3 towns

Closest

Oceano

1 min by car · 19 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 19 places to stay in Oceano · Booking.com

About Oceano 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 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 8h 30m

About 8h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 2h 05m 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.