Surf City Pier
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 7 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 126kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 98kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- NNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 348, fair
- Wed 452, fair
- Thu 567, good
- Fri 660, good
- Sat 776, good
- Sun 863, good
- Mon 944, too small
- Tue 1016, too small
- Wed 1110, too small
- Thu 129, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 67, good | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 60, good | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 76, good | 3 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 63, good | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 44, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 18°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 NovHigh 01:53 +0.6 mLow 08:08 −0.6 mHigh 14:20 +0.7 mLow 20:47 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:57 +0.7 mLow 09:13 −0.6 mHigh 15:19 +0.7 mLow 21:40 −0.6 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 03:54 +0.7 mLow 10:13 −0.6 mHigh 16:12 +0.6 mLow 22:27 −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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Surf City Pier 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 Surf City Pier
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Surf City Pier
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (142°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (322°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.9 km out (1 in 185). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 28°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Surf City, 0.2 km away (1 min by car).
Water about 20°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$1,040–US$1,860 each
about US$1,040–US$1,860 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 ILM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$335 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$87–US$141 |
| 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$1,040–US$1,860 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Surf City
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
1 min by car · 32 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Surf City 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 5h 10m
About 5h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ILM, direct, then 1h by road
Flights ORD → ILM 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.