Staying Home Sucks, home
Coast Guard Boat in Morro Bay
Widdows. Photo: Mike Baird, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Widdows

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

8Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 12 out of 100

Swell
6 ft14 smushy
Energy
1,121kJ
Wind
W 7 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
978kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 28 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
126kJ
Wind
NW 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 ssoft
Energy
524kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
9 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,177kJ
Wind
NE 11 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
994kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
22°C

Mon 9 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,382kJ
Wind
NE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 312, poor
  2. Wed 40, too big
  3. Thu 528, poor
  4. Fri 60, too big
  5. Sat 70, too big
  6. Sun 80, too big
  7. Mon 90, too big
  8. Tue 100, too big
  9. Wed 110, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 4–18 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

Widdows does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Widdows, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov12, poor6 ft14 smushy5 ft at break (est.)1,121kJwind from the west, 7 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov0, too big7 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)978kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov28, poor4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)126kJwind from the north-west, 5 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big6 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)524kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots21°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big9 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)2,177kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots24°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big7 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)994kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots22°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big7 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)1,382kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big8 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)1,096kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots22°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big8 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)1,385kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots19°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 05:52 +0.6 mLow 11:42 −0.3 mHigh 17:20 +0.5 mLow 23:51 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:27 +0.7 mLow 12:41 −0.5 mHigh 18:31 +0.5 m
  • Thu 5 NovLow 00:36 −0.6 mHigh 07:01 +0.8 mLow 13:32 −0.7 mHigh 19:34 +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 Widdows

Morro Bay Harbor Patrol runs out to escort fishing boat Rita G., owned by Michelle, over the harbor's dangerous bar at harbor entry.
Photo: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Coast Guard 47' Motor Lifeboat Escorts Fishing Boats 08Dec2009
Photo: Mike Baird, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Widdows

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

The spot faces SW (218°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (38°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 68). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Morro Bay, 1.7 km away (5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot, 1 dive site and 1 mountain bike area.

Water about 15°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$1,200–US$2,170 each

about US$1,200–US$2,170 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 ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$530
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$1,200–US$2,170

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

Morro Bay

5 min by car · 62 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 62 places to stay in Morro Bay · Booking.com

About Morro Bay 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 9h 10m

About 9h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 2h 45m 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.