Pipe
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
46Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 174kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 92kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 265, good
- Tue 344, too small
- Wed 453, fair
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 632, too small
- Sat 736, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 928, too small
- Tue 1041, too small
- Wed 1142, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Pipe does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 65, good | 3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 223kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 174kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 53, fair | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 111kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 23°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 04:36 +0.4 mLow 09:44 −0.1 mHigh 15:23 +0.6 mLow 22:26 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:16 +0.6 mLow 11:03 −0.3 mHigh 16:47 +0.5 mLow 23:17 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:51 +0.7 mLow 12:01 −0.5 mHigh 17:55 +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
best in Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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 and its town
Pipe 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Pratte's Reef 0.9 km away
- El Segundo Beach Jetty 1.4 km away
- Dockweiler Beach 1.9 km away
- Hammerland 2.2 km away
- El Porto 2.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pipe
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (240°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (60°). 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 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Inglewood, 8.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots.
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 LAX, 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
about 5 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About El Segundo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Manhattan Beach on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Hermosa Beach on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 27 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 → LAX, direct, then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → LAX 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.