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Sanibel
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
4Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: too small (1 ft swell at 4 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft2 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 43, too small
- Thu 51, too small
- Fri 61, too small
- Sat 71, too small
- Sun 81, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
- Wed 115, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 25 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the north, 10 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 24°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 05:08 +0.3 mLow 12:38 −0.3 mHigh 20:01 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:02 −0.1 mHigh 07:18 +0.3 mLow 13:41 −0.3 mHigh 20:36 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 02:09 −0.2 mHigh 08:50 +0.3 mLow 14:36 −0.2 mHigh 21:07 +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
Sanibel on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sanibel
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (180°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (0°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 20°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 31°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Sanibel, 0 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 25°C: no wetsuit. 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$1,050–US$1,890 each
about US$1,050–US$1,890 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 RSW, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$195–US$403 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$107 |
| 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$1,050–US$1,890 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Sanibel
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 · 28 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Sanibel 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 35m
About 5h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → RSW, direct, then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → RSW on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
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.