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Spooners Cove, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Los Osos

All 18 on Los Osos's map

Watch this spot We email you when Spooners Cove is worth the trip.

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California, the wider area. Photo: Christian Mehlführer, User:Chmehl, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Spooners Cove

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

The spot faces W (285°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (105°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 30). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 12°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, March and April, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Los Osos, 6.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 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 9 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SBA, direct.

    See flights ORD → SBA · Skyscanner from about £220 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h 40 from the airport to Spooners Cove.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Los OsosAd

    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 Los Osos · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Los Osos · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Spooners Cove 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

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct534 ft9 scrumbling260kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct235 ft10 smushy396kJ17°C
Tue 20Oct444 ft8 scrumbling206kJ17°C
Wed 21Oct434 ft9 scrumbling278kJ17°C
Thu 22Oct383 ft8 smushy116kJ18°C
Fri 23Oct345 ft6 smushy150kJ18°C
Sat 24Oct375 ft7 smushy247kJ20°C
Sun 25Oct514 ft6 smushy110kJ22°C
Mon 26Oct604 ft8 scrumbling224kJ22°C
Tue 27Oct504 ft7 smushy178kJ20°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

    Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 2h 40 by road. About 9h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Spooners Cove

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 6 kn (10 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Spooners Cove

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Spooners Cove

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 5 kn (8 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Spooners Cove

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Spooners Cove

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to SBA, then 2h 40 by road. About 9h door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Los Osos each day: A-Frames, Lonesomes, Spooners Cove.

The trip from Los Osos, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,015–£1,840 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 SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£220–£460
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£1,015–£1,840

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

Places to eat near Los Osos

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

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.