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Goulds Inlet, United States

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

Also within 20 km of St. Simons

Watch this spot We email you when Goulds Inlet is worth the trip.

The pier in Neptune Park, St. Simons Island, GA, US
St. Simons, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Goulds Inlet

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

The spot faces SE (120°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (300°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 7.7 km out (1 in 769). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best months are usually January, February, July and August, with about 3 good days in 7; in April, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is St. Simons, 4.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 25°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 5 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to JAX, direct.

    See flights MDW → JAX · Skyscanner from about £145 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 45 from the airport to Goulds Inlet.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in St. SimonsAd

    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 St. Simons · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in St. Simons · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Goulds Inlet on Google Maps · Directions

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Live webcam

Epworth by the Sea, 5 km away

Open the webcam on epworthbythesea.org

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct292 ft8 ssoft29kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct04 ft9 ssoft220kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct512 ft9 ssoft80kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct452 ft5 smushy18kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct482 ft7 smushy36kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct362 ft8 smushy25kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct272 ft7 smushy34kJ19°C
Sun 25Oct213 ft8 ssoft95kJ21°C
Mon 26Oct04 ft9 ssoft232kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct05 ft10 ssoft517kJ20°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 beginner surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to JAX, then 1h 45 by road. About 5h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf St. Simons Island

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 2 ft at 9 s, wind 11 kn (20 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf St. Simons Island

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 2 ft at 5 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf St. Simons Island

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 2 ft at 7 s, wind 9 kn (16 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf St. Simons Island

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 2 ft at 8 s, wind 9 kn (17 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to JAX, then 1h 45 by road. About 5h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near St. Simons each day: Goulds Inlet, St. Simons Island, St. Simons Island, GA.

The trip from St. Simons, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £940–£1,680 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 JAX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£145–£300
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£940–£1,680

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

Places to eat near St. Simons

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.