Staying Home Sucks, home
Otter Cove - panoramio
Otter Cove. Photo: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Otter Cove

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

36Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 5 ft swell at 7 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
20kJ
Wind
NNW 4 kn
Temp
14°C

Wed 4 · 8 out of 100

Swell
2 ft3 smushy
Energy
4kJ
Wind
SSW 7 kn
Temp
14°C

Thu 5 · 9 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
21kJ
Wind
SW 9 kn
Temp
15°C

Fri 6 · 31 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
50kJ
Wind
SW 5 kn
Temp
14°C

Sat 7 · 40 out of 100

Swell
5 ft5 smushy
Energy
114kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
13°C

Sun 8 · 59 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
231kJ
Wind
N 11 kn
Temp
9°C

Mon 9 · 40 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
180kJ
Wind
ESE 8 kn
Temp
11°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 210, too small
  2. Tue 319, too small
  3. Wed 48, too small
  4. Thu 59, too small
  5. Fri 631, too small
  6. Sat 740, poor
  7. Sun 859, fair
  8. Mon 940, poor
  9. Tue 1029, too small
  10. Wed 1112, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–16 ftof swell
  • Water 10 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

Otter Cove does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Otter Cove, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov10, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the west-south-west, 9 knots14°C
Tue 3Nov19, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore14°C
Wed 4Nov8, too small2 ft3 smushy2 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the south-south-west, 7 knots14°C
Thu 5Nov9, too small2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)21kJwind from the south-west, 9 knots15°C
Fri 6Nov31, too small3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots14°C
Sat 7Nov40, poor5 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.)114kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots13°C
Sun 8Nov59, fair5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)231kJwind from the north, 11 knots, offshore9°C
Mon 9Nov40, poor4 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)180kJwind from the east-south-east, 8 knots11°C
Tue 10Nov29, too small3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)63kJwind from the west-north-west, 11 knots, offshore11°C
Wed 11Nov12, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore7°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 04:10 +1.4 mLow 10:16 −1.4 mHigh 16:30 +1.7 mLow 22:56 −1.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:14 +1.5 mLow 11:24 −1.4 mHigh 17:37 +1.6 mLow 23:58 −1.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:15 +1.6 mLow 12:29 −1.6 mHigh 18:40 +1.6 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 Otter Cove

Acadia Coast - panoramio
Near Otter Cove. Photo: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Boulder beach
Near Otter Cove. Photo: Christian Collins, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Boulder Beach Acadia October 2021 002
Near Otter Cove. Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Otter Cove

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

The spot faces S (159°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (339°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 60). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 4°C in March, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Bar Harbor, 8.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 kayak spots and 1 climbing area.

Water about 10°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,130–US$2,010 each

about US$1,130–US$2,010 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to BGR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$181–US$376
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
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$242
Totalabout US$1,130–US$2,010

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Bar Harbor

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Bar Harbor

about 15 min by car · 77 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 77 places to stay in Bar Harbor · Booking.com

About Bar Harbor 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 6h 15m

About 6h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → BGR, direct, then 1h 35m by road

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

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