Live The Pit, United States
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Rancho Palos Verdes, 42 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Long Beach International Airport (LGB), 56 km.
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About Live The Pit
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces W (250°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (70°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 7). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Rancho Palos Verdes, 42 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Long Beach International Airport (LGB), 56 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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.
Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Long Beach International Airport (LGB), direct.
See flights MDW → LGB · Skyscanner from about £215 returnAdGetting there. 1 h 20 from the airport to Live The Pit.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Rancho Palos Verdes, 42 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Long Beach International Airport (LGB), 56 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Live The Pit · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Live The Pit · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Live The Pit on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 55, good | 3 ft13 shollow | 315kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 63, good | 3 ft13 shollow | 358kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 51, good | 3 ft12 shollow | 282kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 52, good | 3 ft12 shollow | 243kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 31, too small | 3 ft11 shollow | 150kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 54, good | 4 ft5 shollow | 78kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 35, too small | 3 ft6 shollow | 43kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 25, too small | 2 ft10 shollow | 54kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 17, too small | 1 ft11 shollow | 45kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 35, too small | 3 ft5 shollow | 31kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 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. 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
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Direct flight MDW to LGB, then 1h 20 by road. About 7h 20 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf Live The Pit
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
- Wed 21 OctSurf Live The Pit
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).
- Thu 22 OctSurf Live The Pit
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 11 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
- Fri 23 OctSurf Live The Pit
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.
- Sat 24 OctSurf Live The Pit
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Direct flight MDW to LGB, then 1h 20 by road. About 7h 20 door to door
Rough cost
About £740–£1,375 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.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to LGB, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | £215–£450 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £115–£190 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £260–£480 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £115–£190 |
| Total | £740–£1,375 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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