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Higgins Beach, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Old Orchard Beach

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

Higgins Beach low tide
Higgins Beach. Photo: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Higgins Beach

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

The spot faces S (166°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (346°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 73). 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. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Old Orchard Beach, 9.1 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 13°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 4 h 50 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. 30 min from the airport to Higgins Beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Old Orchard BeachAd

    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 Old Orchard Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Old Orchard Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Higgins Beach 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 18Oct71 ft7 smushy6kJ10°C
Mon 19Oct142 ft7 smushy37kJ11°C
Tue 20Oct535 ft7 smushy214kJ14°C
Wed 21Oct474 ft6 smushy110kJ11°C
Thu 22Oct385 ft7 smushy194kJ14°C
Fri 23Oct322 ft7 smushy61kJ10°C
Sat 24Oct253 ft6 smushy46kJ10°C
Sun 25Oct61 ft4 smushy3kJ13°C
Mon 26Oct81 ft8 smushy5kJ13°C
Tue 27Oct81 ft7 smushy5kJ12°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 30 min by road. About 4h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Higgins Beach

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

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Higgins Beach

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Old Orchard Beach (OOB)

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

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Fortunes Rocks

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Fortunes Rocks

    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 30 min by road. About 4h 50 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Old Orchard Beach each day: Fortunes Rocks, Higgins Beach, Old Orchard Beach (OOB).

The trip from Old Orchard Beach, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £845–£1,525 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£15–£30
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£845–£1,525

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

Places to eat near Old Orchard Beach

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.