Back to results

Little Makaha, United States

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

Also within 20 km of San Diego

All 64 on San Diego's map

Watch this spot We email you when Little Makaha is worth the trip.

Del-Mar-Race-Track
Del Mar, the nearest town, 17 km away. Photo: Intersofia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Little Makaha

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

The spot faces W (261°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (81°). 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 600 m out (1 in 62). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and May, with about 3 good days in 7; in August, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is San Diego. Within 5 km we also list 25 surf spots, 3 wind sports spots and 4 dive sites.

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

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 6 h 35 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. 30 min from the airport to Little Makaha.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: San Diego, 15 km (about 30 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Little Makaha: plan on the drive each day you surf.

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

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

    See all places to stay in San Diego, 15 km away 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 San Diego · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in San Diego · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Little Makaha on Google Maps · Directions

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.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct583 ft13 scrumbling370kJ23°C
Mon 19Oct634 ft13 ssoft400kJ22°C
Tue 20Oct584 ft12 ssoft339kJ22°C
Wed 21Oct523 ft12 ssoft262kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct403 ft10 ssoft132kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct504 ft6 smushy77kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct332 ft8 ssoft70kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct252 ft12 scrumbling95kJ23°C
Mon 26Oct202 ft11 scrumbling63kJ23°C
Tue 27Oct373 ft4 smushy32kJ24°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 30 min by road. About 6h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Little Makaha

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Little Makaha

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Little Makaha

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 10 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Little Makaha

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 30 min by road. About 6h 35 door to door

The trip from San Diego, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £915–£1,670 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
Taxiairport and back, shared£20–£35
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£915–£1,670

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

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Nearest beds: San Diego, 15 km (about 30 min by car) · 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.