Sand Dollar Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
72Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 7 ft swell at 13 s
Tue 3 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,311kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,095kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 545kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,023kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,448kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 984kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,891kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 253, fair
- Tue 380, good
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 567, good
- Fri 653, fair
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 879, good
- Mon 969, good
- Tue 1076, good
- Wed 1171, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best in Aug3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 53, fair | 6 ft16 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 1,497kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 80, good | 7 ft13 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.) | 1,311kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 8 ft9 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,095kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 67, good | 7 ft8 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 545kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 53, fair | 10 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.) | 2,023kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 10 ft12 ssoft12 ft at break (est.) | 2,448kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 79, good | 7 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 984kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 69, good | 9 ft11 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 1,891kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 76, good | 7 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 944kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 71, good | 9 ft11 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 1,646kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 18°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 05:21 +0.5 mLow 10:35 −0.1 mHigh 16:05 +0.6 mLow 23:09 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:01 +0.6 mLow 11:49 −0.3 mHigh 17:28 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:00 −0.8 mHigh 06:36 +0.7 mLow 12:49 −0.5 mHigh 18:40 +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 Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 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
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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
Sand Dollar Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- San Simeon Point 40.4 km away
- Boners 45.6 km away
- Ponytails 47.2 km away
- Cliffs 49.8 km away
- Leffingwell Landing 50.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sand Dollar Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (268°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (88°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 38). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 12°C in April, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is San Simeon. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 15°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$1,210–US$2,170 each
about US$1,210–US$2,170 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 ORD to MRY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$262–US$537 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$1,210–US$2,170 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: San Simeon
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 1h 20m by car · 15 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About San Simeon its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: San Simeon, 45 km (about 1h 20m by car)
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 8h 10m
About 8h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MRY, direct, then 1h 45m by road
Flights ORD → MRY 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.