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Carbis Bay, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Carbis Bay

All 20 on Carbis Bay's map

Watch this spot We email you when Carbis Bay is worth the trip.

Morning Walk On Carbis Bay Beach, In Cornwall
Carbis Bay. Photo: Hedgehog Digital, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Carbis Bay

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

The spot faces N (15°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (195°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 65). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Carbis Bay, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 16 h 35 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB).

    See flights ORD → NQY · Skyscanner from about £380 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to Carbis Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Carbis BayAd

    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 Carbis Bay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Carbis Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Carbis Bay on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Carbis Bay does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct22 ft8 smushy41kJ13°C
Mon 19Oct163 ft12 scrumbling226kJ12°C
Tue 20Oct223 ft10 ssoft219kJ14°C
Wed 21Oct176 ft9 ssoft606kJ12°C
Thu 22Oct487 ft8 smushy596kJ14°C
Fri 23Oct197 ft10 ssoft821kJ12°C
Sat 24Oct326 ft8 ssoft446kJ14°C
Sun 25Oct83 ft11 ssoft212kJ15°C
Mon 26Oct368 ft8 ssoft745kJ16°C
Tue 27Oct173 ft10 ssoft225kJ14°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

    Fly ORD to NQY, changing at DUB, then 1h 05 by road. About 16h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 18 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Carbis Bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 23 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Carbis Bay

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to NQY, changing at DUB, then 1h 05 by road. About 16h 35 door to door

The trip from Carbis Bay, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,110–£2,070 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 ORD to NQY, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£380–£795
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£105–£175
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£250–£420
Food7 days eating out£240–£445
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£100–£170
Total£1,110–£2,070

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

Places to eat near Carbis Bay

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; food hygiene ratings from the Food Standards Agency (Open Government Licence). 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.