Shark Harbor, 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), 57 km.

Watch this spot We email you when Shark Harbor is worth the trip.

About Shark Harbor

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

The spot faces W (267°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (87°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). 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), 57 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.

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

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 7 h 25 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 returnAd
Getting there. 1 h 20 from the airport to Shark Harbor.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
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), 57 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Shark Harbor · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Shark Harbor · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Shark Harbor on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Shark Harbor, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	52, good	3 ft13 shollow	315kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots	26°C
Mon 19Oct	58, good	3 ft13 shollow	358kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 0 knots	24°C
Tue 20Oct	49, good	3 ft12 shollow	282kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots	23°C
Wed 21Oct	53, good	3 ft12 shollow	241kJ	wind from the east, 5 knots, offshore	20°C
Thu 22Oct	30, too small	3 ft11 shollow	150kJ	wind from the north-west, 4 knots	20°C
Fri 23Oct	54, good	4 ft5 shollow	78kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore	22°C
Sat 24Oct	34, too small	3 ft6 shollow	43kJ	wind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore	23°C
Sun 25Oct	24, too small	2 ft8 shollow	39kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 1 knot	24°C
Mon 26Oct	16, too small	1 ft11 shollow	45kJ	wind from the north-west, 3 knots	25°C
Tue 27Oct	37, fair	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 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight MDW to LGB, then 1h 20 by road. About 7h 25 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Shark Harbor
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Shark Harbor
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Shark Harbor
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 11 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Shark Harbor
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Shark Harbor
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight MDW to LGB, then 1h 20 by road. About 7h 25 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.

Rough cost per person for this trip
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.

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

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.