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South Bay, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Scarborough

Watch this spot We email you when South Bay is worth the trip.

Scarborough, North Yorkshire. (4 of 7)
Scarborough, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Thomas Tolkien, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About South Bay

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

The spot faces NE (58°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (238°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 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 7°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 16°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 1 good days in 7; in June and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Scarborough, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 17 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to LBA, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB). About 26 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → LBA · Skyscanner from about £385 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h from the airport to South Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in ScarboroughAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay 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.

    Surf lessons in Scarborough · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Scarborough · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

South Bay on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

South Bay 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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct193 ft6 smushy73kJ12°C
Mon 19Oct305 ft5 smushy112kJ14°C
Tue 20Oct113 ft6 smushy52kJ12°C
Wed 21Oct444 ft6 smushy87kJ12°C
Thu 22Oct303 ft4 smushy23kJ12°C
Fri 23Oct152 ft5 smushy16kJ11°C
Sat 24Oct564 ft5 smushy97kJ10°C
Sun 25Oct122 ft5 smushy13kJ12°C
Mon 26Oct81 ft5 smushy5kJ15°C
Tue 27Oct122 ft5 smushy24kJ14°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to LBA, changing at DUB, then 2h by road. About 17h 25 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf North bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf South Bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 4 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf South Bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to LBA, changing at DUB, then 2h by road. About 17h 25 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Scarborough each day: North bay, South Bay.

The trip from Scarborough, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,115–£2,075 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LBA, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£385–£800
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£105–£175
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£250–£420
Food7 days eating out£240–£445
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£100–£170
Total£1,115–£2,075

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

Places to eat near Scarborough

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; food hygiene ratings from the Food Standards Agency (Open Government Licence). Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

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.