Little Waimea, United States

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Coronado, 10 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: San Diego International Airport (SAN), 10 km.

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About Little Waimea

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

The spot faces W (252°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (72°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. 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, February, June and July, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Coronado, 10 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: San Diego International Airport (SAN), 10 km. Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots and 1 dive site.

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

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From Chicago: about 6 h 35 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to San Diego International Airport (SAN), direct.
See flights MDW → SAN · Skyscanner from about £215 returnAd
Getting there. 30 min from the airport to Little Waimea.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Coronado, 10 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: San Diego International Airport (SAN), 10 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Little Waimea · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Little Waimea · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Little Waimea on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Little Waimea 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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Little Waimea, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 19Oct	64, good	4 ft13 s	411kJ	wind from the east, 3 knots, offshore	23°C
Tue 20Oct	60, good	4 ft12 s	325kJ	wind from the east, 5 knots, offshore	22°C
Wed 21Oct	53, good	3 ft12 s	270kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore	21°C
Thu 22Oct	43, fair	3 ft9 s	106kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore	20°C
Fri 23Oct	55, good	4 ft5 s	87kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots, offshore	21°C
Sat 24Oct	43, fair	3 ft6 s	79kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots	22°C
Sun 25Oct	28, too small	2 ft12 s	117kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore	23°C
Mon 26Oct	23, too small	2 ft11 s	70kJ	wind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore	23°C
Tue 27Oct	20, too small	2 ft13 s	69kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots	24°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. 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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Tue 20 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 30 min by road. About 6h 35 door to door
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Little Waimea
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Little Waimea
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Little Waimea
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Little Waimea
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Mon 26 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight MDW to SAN, then 30 min by road. About 6h 35 door to door

Rough cost

About £645–£1,210 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.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag	£215–£445
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£20–£30
Food	7 days eating out	£260–£480
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£115–£190
Total		£645–£1,210

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

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