Staying Home Sucks, home
Westerly Crossing
Westerly, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: JJBers from Willimantic, Connecticut, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Panic Point

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

36Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 smushy
Energy
4kJ
Wind
W 8 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft4 smushy
Energy
2kJ
Wind
WSW 7 kn
Temp
16°C

Thu 5 · 10 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
23kJ
Wind
SSW 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 32 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
72kJ
Wind
S 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 43 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
142kJ
Wind
SW 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 54 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
202kJ
Wind
WNW 9 kn
Temp
13°C

Mon 9 · 46 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
82kJ
Wind
WNW 3 kn
Temp
13°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 25, too small
  2. Tue 39, too small
  3. Wed 46, too small
  4. Thu 510, too small
  5. Fri 632, poor
  6. Sat 743, poor
  7. Sun 854, fair
  8. Mon 946, fair
  9. Tue 1029, too small
  10. Wed 1119, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–13 ftof swell
  • Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Sep–Oct1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Panic Point, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov5, too small1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the west-south-west, 11 knots15°C
Tue 3Nov9, too small1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the west, 8 knots15°C
Wed 4Nov6, too small1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots16°C
Thu 5Nov10, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the south-south-west, 8 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov32, poor4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)72kJwind from the south, 8 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov43, poor4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)142kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov54, fair4 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)202kJwind from the west-north-west, 9 knots13°C
Mon 9Nov46, fair3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)82kJwind from the west-north-west, 3 knots13°C
Tue 10Nov29, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the north-west, 11 knots, offshore11°C
Wed 11Nov19, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)26kJwind from the north-west, 17 knots, offshore12°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 01:29 +0.5 mLow 07:40 −0.4 mHigh 13:58 +0.5 mLow 20:25 −0.4 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:36 +0.5 mLow 08:56 −0.4 mHigh 15:02 +0.5 mLow 21:25 −0.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:36 +0.6 mLow 10:02 −0.5 mHigh 16:00 +0.5 mLow 22:18 −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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Panic Point

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

The spot faces S (165°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (345°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 47). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually September and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Westerly, 6.3 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 14°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$1,110–US$1,990 each

about US$1,110–US$1,990 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 MDW to PVD, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$168–US$349
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$1,110–US$1,990

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

Westerly

about 15 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Westerly · Booking.com

About Westerly 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 5h 25m

About 5h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → PVD, direct, then 1h 15m by road

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

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