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Camp Pendelton, United States

Stay in Oceanside: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Oceanside

All 28 on Oceanside's map

Watch this spot We email you when Camp Pendelton is worth the trip.

Surf Buddies
Near Camp Pendelton, 2 km away. Photo: Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Camp Pendelton

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (243°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (63°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 88). 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 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually May, with about 4 good days in 7; in February, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Oceanside, 3.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 20°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 7 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to San Diego International Airport (SAN), direct.

    See flights MDW → SAN · Skyscanner from about £215 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 20 from the airport to Camp Pendelton.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in OceansideAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Oceanside · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Oceanside · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Camp Pendelton on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct263 ft13 ssoft370kJ27°C
Mon 19Oct294 ft13 ssoft418kJ25°C
Tue 20Oct274 ft12 ssoft345kJ24°C
Wed 21Oct233 ft12 ssoft264kJ23°C
Thu 22Oct183 ft11 ssoft145kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct173 ft5 smushy55kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct152 ft12 ssoft144kJ23°C
Sun 25Oct122 ft12 ssoft96kJ25°C
Mon 26Oct102 ft11 ssoft64kJ25°C
Tue 27Oct113 ft5 smushy32kJ26°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 expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 1h 20 by road. About 7h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 1h 20 by road. About 7h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Oceanside each day: Camp Pendelton, Del Mar Jetties, Oceanside Harbor, Oceanside Pier, Tyson Street.

The trip from Oceanside, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,010–£1,825 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£215–£445
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£115–£190
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£1,010–£1,825

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Oceanside

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.