Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 5 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 434kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 443kJ
- Wind
- WNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 521kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 368kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 501kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 610kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 492kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 233, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 419, too small
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 632, too small
- Sat 759, fair
- Sun 847, fair
- Mon 940, too small
- Tue 1038, too small
- Wed 1138, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 33, too small | 4 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 434kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 4 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 443kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 19, too small | 5 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 521kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 5 ft8 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 368kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 32, too small | 5 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 501kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 59, fair | 5 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 610kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 47, fair | 5 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 492kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 40, too small | 5 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 483kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, too small | 5 ft11 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 584kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 38, too small | 5 ft11 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 631kJ | wind from the north-west, 8 knots | 20°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 04:34 +0.4 mLow 09:43 −0.1 mHigh 15:22 +0.6 mLow 22:23 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:13 +0.6 mLow 11:01 −0.3 mHigh 16:45 +0.5 mLow 23:13 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:48 +0.7 mLow 11:58 −0.5 mHigh 17:52 +0.5 mLow 23:55 −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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Terminals on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Terminals
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (255°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (75°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 25). 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 August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). No town nearby. Nearest beds: Avalon California, 45 km (about 1h 20m by car). Nearest airport: Long Beach International Airport (LGB), 99 km.
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$891–US$1,650 each
about US$891–US$1,650 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to LGB, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$891–US$1,650 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 45 km away
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Avalon California, 45 km (about 1h 20m by car). Nearest airport: Long Beach International Airport (LGB), 99 km.
See places to stay near Avalon California, 45 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 8h 05m
About 8h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → LGB, direct, then 2h by road
Flights MDW → LGB 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.