Boat House, United States
No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Oceano, is 60 km away. Nearest airport: SMX (SMX), 41 km.
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About Boat House
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces S (190°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (10°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 46). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in April, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Oceano, is 60 km away. Nearest airport: SMX (SMX), 41 km.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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From Chicago: about 7 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SBA, direct.
See flights ORD → SBA · Skyscanner from about £220 returnAdGetting there. 1 h 35 from the airport to Boat House.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Oceano, is 60 km away. Nearest airport: SMX (SMX), 41 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Boat House · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Boat House · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Boat House on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
Boat House does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 51, good | 4 ft9 ssoft | 276kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 52, good | 5 ft11 ssoft | 453kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 16 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 36, fair | 4 ft12 scrumbling | 369kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 8, poor | 5 ft9 smushy | 377kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 32, too small | 4 ft8 smushy | 155kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 31, poor | 5 ft6 smushy | 167kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 43, fair | 5 ft7 smushy | 251kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 30, too small | 3 ft6 smushy | 86kJ | offshorewind from the north, 3 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 46, fair | 4 ft8 ssoft | 231kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 24, poor | 6 ft7 smushy | 295kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 19°C |
Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.
Your trip, day by day
6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 1h 35 by road. About 7h 55 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf Boat House
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 20 of 80.
- Thu 22 OctSurf Boat House
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.
- Fri 23 OctSurf Boat House
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.
- Sat 24 OctSurf Boat House
Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 1h 35 by road. About 7h 55 door to door
Rough cost
About £745–£1,385 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | £220–£460 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £115–£190 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £260–£480 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £115–£190 |
| Total | £745–£1,385 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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