Shoals Reef, United States

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Sitka, 19 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: SIT (SIT), 17 km.

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About Shoals Reef

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

The spot faces S (176°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (356°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 6°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Sitka, 19 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: SIT (SIT), 17 km.

Water about 11°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Sitka, 19 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: SIT (SIT), 17 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Shoals Reef · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Shoals Reef · GetYourGuideAd

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Where it is

Shoals Reef on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Shoals Reef 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 Shoals Reef, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	0, too big	9 ft8 smushy	781kJ	wind from the south-east, 6 knots	8°C
Mon 19Oct	38, fair	5 ft6 smushy	146kJ	wind from the south-east, 3 knots	8°C
Tue 20Oct	0, too big	8 ft9 smushy	988kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 26 knots	11°C
Wed 21Oct	0, too big	14 ft9 smushy	2,810kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots	8°C
Thu 22Oct	0, too big	8 ft8 smushy	823kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots	5°C
Fri 23Oct	44, fair	6 ft7 smushy	307kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore	7°C
Sat 24Oct	31, too small	3 ft7 shollow	61kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore	9°C
Sun 25Oct	21, too small	2 ft6 smushy	36kJ	wind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore	8°C
Mon 26Oct	54, good	4 ft6 smushy	102kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore	9°C
Tue 27Oct	19, too small	2 ft6 shollow	24kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore	9°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
No way there we can work out.
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Shoals Reef
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 6 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Shoals Reef
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
No way there we can work out.

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