Strands
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 251kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 82kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- NNE 0 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 279, good
- Tue 365, good
- Wed 443, too small
- Thu 534, too small
- Fri 636, too small
- Sat 733, too small
- Sun 829, too small
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 1023, too small
- Wed 1124, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Oct–Nov6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 79, good | 3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 321kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 251kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 0 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the north-west, 1 knot | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 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 04:31 +0.4 mLow 09:41 −0.1 mHigh 15:20 +0.6 mLow 22:23 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:11 +0.5 mLow 11:00 −0.3 mHigh 16:43 +0.5 mLow 23:14 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:46 +0.7 mLow 11:57 −0.5 mHigh 17:51 +0.5 mLow 23:56 −0.7 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 Oct–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 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, its town, photos
Strands 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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Photos of Strands
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More surf near here
5 places
- Salt Creek : Gravels 0.7 km away
- Dana Point 0.8 km away
- Salt Creek- Middles 1 km away
- Salt Creek Point 1.4 km away
- Salt Creek Heroins 2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Strands
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (232°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (52°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually October and November, with about 6 good days in 7; in April and May, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Dana Point, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,110–US$2,010 each
about US$1,110–US$2,010 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 ORD to SNA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$517 |
| 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$1,110–US$2,010 |
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 5 min by car · 22 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Dana Point its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Laguna Beach on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 49 places to stay
- Beds in San Clemente on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 35 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 7h
About 7h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SNA, direct, then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → SNA 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.