Seacliff Beach, United States
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Capitola, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), 43 km.
Watch this spot We email you when Seacliff Beach is worth the trip.
About Seacliff Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces SW (203°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (23°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 93). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Capitola, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), 43 km. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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 Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), direct.
See flights MDW → SJC · Skyscanner from about £225 returnAdGetting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to Seacliff Beach.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Capitola, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), 43 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Seacliff Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Seacliff Beach · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Seacliff Beach on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 28, too small | 5 ft8 ssoft | 278kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 25, too small | 5 ft8 ssoft | 346kJ | wind from the south-west, 0 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 36, fair | 5 ft10 ssoft | 576kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 27, too small | 5 ft9 ssoft | 310kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 9, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft | 87kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 21, too small | 4 ft6 smushy | 129kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 23, too small | 5 ft7 smushy | 208kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 1 knot | 19°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 13, too small | 3 ft7 smushy | 90kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 28, too small | 5 ft7 smushy | 199kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 17, too small | 3 ft7 smushy | 90kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 20°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 expert surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Direct flight MDW to SJC, then 1h 05 by road. About 7h 20 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf Seacliff Beach
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Too small: 5 ft at best.
- Thu 22 OctRest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
- Fri 23 OctRest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
- Sat 24 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 29 of 80.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Direct flight MDW to SJC, then 1h 05 by road. About 7h 20 door to door
Rough cost
About £710–£1,325 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 SJC, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | £225–£465 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | £75–£125 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £260–£480 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £115–£190 |
| Total | £710–£1,325 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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