Staying Home Sucks, home
Sunset Blvd at PCH
Sunset. Photo: Downtowngal, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sunset

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

73Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 72 out of 100

Swell
3 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
252kJ
Wind
ESE 1 kn
Temp
22°C

Tue 3 · 72 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
186kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 77 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
93kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 63 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
41kJ
Wind
N 3 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 77 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
60kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 74 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
65kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 68 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
50kJ
Wind
N 3 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 272, good
  2. Tue 372, good
  3. Wed 477, good
  4. Thu 563, good
  5. Fri 677, good
  6. Sat 774, good
  7. Sun 868, good
  8. Mon 965, good
  9. Tue 1070, good
  10. Wed 1173, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 1–5 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Aug–Nov6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Sunset, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov72, good3 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)252kJwind from the east-south-east, 1 knot22°C
Tue 3Nov72, good3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)186kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov77, good2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the east, 1 knot21°C
Thu 5Nov63, good1 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)41kJwind from the north, 3 knots, offshore23°C
Fri 6Nov77, good2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots25°C
Sat 7Nov74, good2 ft12 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)65kJwind from the north, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov68, good2 ft11 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the north, 3 knots, offshore26°C
Mon 9Nov65, good2 ft11 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)58kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots24°C
Tue 10Nov70, good2 ft11 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)62kJwind from the south, 1 knot25°C
Wed 11Nov73, good2 ft12 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)69kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots23°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 04:36 +0.4 mLow 09:44 −0.1 mHigh 15:24 +0.6 mLow 22:26 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:16 +0.6 mLow 11:03 −0.3 mHigh 16:47 +0.5 mLow 23:17 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:51 +0.7 mLow 12:01 −0.5 mHigh 17:55 +0.5 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 beginners: 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 Sunset

PCH at Sunset looking north
Photo: Downtowngal, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
California Spiny Lobster, Will Rogers State Beach, Los Angeles, CA, US imported from iNaturalist photo 44018443
Photo: (c) redrovertracy, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Sunset

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

The spot faces SW (204°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (24°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 60). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually August, September, October and November, with about 6 good days in 7; in March, April and May, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Monica, 5.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

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$1,070–US$1,940 each

about US$1,070–US$1,940 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to LAX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$517
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$27–US$40
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$1,070–US$1,940

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

Santa Monica

about 10 min by car · 83 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 83 places to stay in Santa Monica · Booking.com

About Santa Monica 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 35m

About 6h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → LAX, direct, then 30 min 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.