Is it worth the trip?
10Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 5 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 166kJ
- Wind
- ESE 12 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,282kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 2,670kJ
- Wind
- ESE 17 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 13 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 4,539kJ
- Wind
- SSW 21 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,601kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 6°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 760kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 6°C
Mon 9 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 625kJ
- Wind
- SE 19 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 314, poor
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 824, poor
- Mon 911, poor
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 1155, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 9 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
- Best Jun–Aug2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Shoals Reef does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 14, poor | 3 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 166kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 12 knots | 8°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 1,282kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 9°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft12 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 2,670kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 17 knots | 7°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 13 ft12 smushy13 ft at break (est.) | 4,539kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 21 knots | 8°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 1,601kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 6°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, poor | 5 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 760kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 6°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, poor | 5 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 625kJ | wind from the south-east, 19 knots | 8°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft8 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 939kJ | wind from the east, 12 knots | 9°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 257kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 7°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
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:17 −1.4 mHigh 09:08 +1.1 mLow 15:12 −0.7 mHigh 21:03 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:23 −1.3 mHigh 10:00 +1.2 mLow 16:19 −1.1 mHigh 22:20 +0.9 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 04:20 −1.2 mHigh 10:44 +1.4 mLow 17:13 −1.4 mHigh 23:23 +1.0 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 Jun–Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 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
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Shoals Reef 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 Shoals Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (176°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (356°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 6°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Nearest beds: Sitka, 19 km (about 35 min by car). Nearest airport: Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport (SIT), 17 km.
Water about 9°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).
Where to stay: nearest beds 19 km away
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No town nearby
Nearest beds: Sitka, 19 km (about 35 min by car). Nearest airport: Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport (SIT), 17 km.
See places to stay near Sitka, 19 km away · Booking.comIn the water
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