Is it worth the trip?
12Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: too small (2 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 s
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SW 17 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 s
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- SE 13 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 s
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- E 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 317, too small
- Wed 42, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 614, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 87, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 103, too small
- Wed 117, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Red Banks 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 | 17, too small | 2 ft11 s2 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft9 s2 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the south-west, 17 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft9 s2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft10 s2 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft9 s3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the south-east, 13 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft10 s2 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the east, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft10 s2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the south, 21 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 16°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 07:30 +0.6 mLow 22:19 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:41 +0.3 mLow 21:40 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:07 +0.2 mLow 09:32 +0.1 mHigh 14:21 +0.2 mLow 21:11 −0.3 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
Red Banks 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Red Banks
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (146°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (326°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 23°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Arno Bay, 8.2 km away (about 15 min by car).
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$1,950–US$3,710 each
about US$1,950–US$3,710 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$986–US$2,040 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$148–US$242 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$356–US$597 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$597 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$235 |
| Total | about US$1,950–US$3,710 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Arno Bay
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 15 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Arno Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$134 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 32h 15m
About 32h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ADL, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 3h 55m by road
Flights MDW → ADL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
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.