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Near Rainbow Rock. Photo: Dicie Hinaga, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Rainbow Rock

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

5Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft15 scrumbling
Energy
2,423kJ
Wind
SE 4 kn
Temp
13°C

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
1,634kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 27 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
431kJ
Wind
SSE 5 kn
Temp
14°C

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,168kJ
Wind
NE 5 kn
Temp
14°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,658kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
15°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
13 ft12 ssoft
Energy
3,891kJ
Wind
E 2 kn
Temp
14°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 ssoft
Energy
1,130kJ
Wind
SSE 12 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 20, too big
  2. Tue 30, too big
  3. Wed 427, poor
  4. Thu 50, too big
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 80, too big
  8. Mon 90, too big
  9. Tue 100, too big
  10. Wed 110, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Rainbow Rock, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov0, too big8 ft15 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)2,423kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots13°C
Tue 3Nov0, too big8 ft13 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)1,634kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots15°C
Wed 4Nov27, poor5 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)431kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots14°C
Thu 5Nov0, too big8 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)1,168kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots14°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big10 ft12 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)2,658kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots15°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big13 ft12 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)3,891kJwind from the east, 2 knots14°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big8 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)1,130kJwind from the south-south-east, 12 knots15°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big11 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)2,577kJwind from the south-south-east, 7 knots15°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big13 ft12 smushy15 ft at break (est.)4,584kJwind from the south, 23 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big12 ft10 smushy13 ft at break (est.)2,521kJwind from the south-south-east, 20 knots16°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 06:12 +0.7 mLow 11:43 −0.3 mHigh 17:20 +0.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 00:12 −1.1 mHigh 07:05 +0.8 mLow 13:02 −0.5 mHigh 18:48 +0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 01:12 −1.0 mHigh 07:50 +0.9 mLow 14:07 −0.7 mHigh 20:05 +0.6 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 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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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

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Rainbow Rock

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

The spot faces SW (239°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (59°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 34). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 12°C in August, its warmest (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves). The town to stay in is Brookings, 4.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 12°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$1,200–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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to EUG, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$523
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$1,200–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: 2 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

Brookings

about 10 min by car · 27 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 27 places to stay in Brookings · Booking.com

About Brookings 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 10h 55m

About 10h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → EUG, direct, then 4h 35m 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.