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Ponce Inlet, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Ponce Inlet

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Sunset on coast of Florida
Florida, the wider area. Photo: Don Miller, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Ponce Inlet

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

The spot faces NE (59°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (239°). 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 18°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March, September and November, with about 2 good days in 7; in June and July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ponce Inlet, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 26°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 6 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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

    See flights MDW → MCO · Skyscanner from about £155 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 1 h 45 from the airport to Ponce Inlet.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Ponce InletAd

    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 Ponce Inlet (ad) 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.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Ponce Inlet, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct9, poor3 ft9 s170kJwind from the north-east, 21 knots24°C
Mon 19Oct7, poor5 ft10 s485kJwind from the north, 21 knots25°C
Tue 20Oct23, poor5 ft9 s294kJwind from the north-north-east, 13 knots24°C
Wed 21Oct31, poor4 ft8 s154kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots26°C
Thu 22Oct32, poor4 ft8 s143kJwind from the north-north-east, 10 knots23°C
Fri 23Oct32, poor3 ft8 s139kJwind from the north-north-east, 9 knots24°C
Sat 24Oct6, too small2 ft8 s55kJwind from the north-east, 15 knots24°C
Sun 25Oct14, poor4 ft8 s237kJwind from the north-east, 17 knots23°C
Mon 26Oct10, poor5 ft9 s354kJwind from the north-north-east, 22 knots21°C
Tue 27Oct0, too big8 ft11 s1,352kJwind from the north, 25 knots20°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 Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to MCO, then 1h 45 by road. About 6h 15 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 24 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 33 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Ponce Inlet

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 10 kn (19 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Ponce Inlet

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 9 kn (17 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to MCO, then 1h 45 by road. About 6h 15 door to door

The trip from Ponce Inlet, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £950–£1,705 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MCO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£155–£325
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£950–£1,705

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

Places to eat near Ponce Inlet

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

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