Staying Home Sucks, home
Atlantic Ocean Waves at Sunrise
South Side. Photo: Andrew Parlette from Elkridge,MD, US, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

South Side

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

23Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 3 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 s
Energy
13kJ
Wind
S 1 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 s
Energy
5kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 19 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 s
Energy
48kJ
Wind
S 5 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 25 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 s
Energy
119kJ
Wind
S 9 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 29 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 s
Energy
100kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 32 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 s
Energy
132kJ
Wind
WNW 4 kn
Temp
14°C

Mon 9 · 18 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 s
Energy
75kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
15°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 25, too small
  2. Tue 36, too small
  3. Wed 43, too small
  4. Thu 519, too small
  5. Fri 625, too small
  6. Sat 729, too small
  7. Sun 832, too small
  8. Mon 918, too small
  9. Tue 107, too small
  10. Wed 116, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at South Side, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov5, too small1 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.)10kJwind from the west, 1 knot, offshore16°C
Tue 3Nov6, too small1 ft9 s2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the south, 1 knot18°C
Wed 4Nov3, too small1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the south, 4 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov19, too small3 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.)48kJwind from the south, 5 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov25, too small4 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.)119kJwind from the south, 9 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov29, too small3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.)100kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore19°C
Sun 8Nov32, too small3 ft8 s5 ft at break (est.)132kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore14°C
Mon 9Nov18, too small3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots15°C
Tue 10Nov7, too small2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)26kJwind from the west-north-west, 11 knots, offshore12°C
Wed 11Nov6, too small1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the west, 10 knots, offshore13°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 01:24 +0.5 mLow 07:24 −0.5 mHigh 13:55 +0.7 mLow 20:20 −0.5 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:34 +0.5 mLow 08:36 −0.5 mHigh 15:01 +0.7 mLow 21:18 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:36 +0.6 mLow 09:42 −0.6 mHigh 16:01 +0.6 mLow 22:11 −0.6 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, its town, photos

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of South Side

Delaware - Beach Sunrise
Photo: Andrew Parlette from Elkridge,MD, US, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Coastal Highway, Bethany Beach, DE 19930, USA - panoramio (1)
Near South Side. Photo: Ron Shawley, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Coast guard indian river - panoramio (2)
Near South Side. Photo: Ron Shawley, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About South Side

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (87°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (267°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 24°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Bethany Beach, 7.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 14°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$1,100–US$1,950 each

about US$1,100–US$1,950 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to PHL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$154–US$315
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$302–US$503
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$148–US$242
Totalabout US$1,100–US$1,950

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

Closest

Bethany Beach

about 15 min by car · 34 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 34 places to stay in Bethany Beach · Booking.com

About Bethany Beach 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 6h 40m

About 6h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → PHL, direct, then 2h 55m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.