Short Sands Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
49Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 8 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 180kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 133kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 224, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 638, too small
- Sat 758, fair
- Sun 870, good
- Mon 971, good
- Tue 1041, too small
- Wed 1116, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 10 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Short Sands Beach 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 | 24, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft8 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 70, good | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 180kJ | offshorewind from the west, 8 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 71, good | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 10°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 04:28 +1.2 mLow 10:31 −1.2 mHigh 16:51 +1.4 mLow 23:14 −1.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:34 +1.2 mLow 11:41 −1.2 mHigh 18:01 +1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:18 −1.4 mHigh 06:38 +1.3 mLow 12:48 −1.3 mHigh 19:07 +1.4 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
No month stands out
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
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 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
Short Sands Beach 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Short Sands 0 km away
- Long Sands,York Beach,ME 1.3 km away
- Ogunquit Rivermouth 8.4 km away
- Ogunquit Beach 9.2 km away
- Wells Beach 15 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Short Sands Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (75°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (255°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 52). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is York, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 10°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$1,120–US$2,000 each
about US$1,120–US$2,000 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 PWM, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$174–US$362 |
| 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$1,120–US$2,000 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About York its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ogunquit on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 89 places to stay
- Beds in Portsmouth on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 51 places to stay
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 40m
About 5h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PWM, direct, then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → PWM 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.