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Wells Beach, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Wells

Watch this spot We email you when Wells Beach is worth the trip.

Cottages and bathing beach, looking east from casino, Wells Beach, Maine (66127)
Wells Beach. Photo: Tichnor Brothers, Publisher, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

About Wells Beach

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

The spot faces SE (121°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (301°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 81). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 1 good days in 7; in June and July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Wells, 2.2 km away (about 5 min by car).

Water about 14°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 5 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to PWM, direct.

    See flights MDW → PWM · Skyscanner from about £150 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to Wells Beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in WellsAd

    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 Wells · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Wells · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Wells Beach on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Wells Beach 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 18Oct81 ft8 scrumbling7kJ11°C
Mon 19Oct172 ft7 smushy42kJ13°C
Tue 20Oct465 ft7 smushy214kJ16°C
Wed 21Oct444 ft7 smushy160kJ12°C
Thu 22Oct405 ft7 smushy205kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct312 ft7 smushy61kJ12°C
Sat 24Oct453 ft6 smushy63kJ13°C
Sun 25Oct91 ft4 smushy4kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct81 ft7 smushy5kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct91 ft6 smushy4kJ15°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 MDW to PWM, then 1h 05 by road. About 5h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Wells Beach

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Wells Beach

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 9 kn (16 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Wells Beach

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Wells Beach

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 2 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Wells Beach

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to PWM, then 1h 05 by road. About 5h 20 door to door

The trip from Wells, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £905–£1,620 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 MDW to PWM, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£150–£305
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£75–£125
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£905–£1,620

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

Places to eat near Wells

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.