Smith Island, United States

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Oak Harbor, 15 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: FRD (FRD), 26 km.

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About Smith Island

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

The spot faces W (266°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (86°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea is about 8°C in January, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 12°C in August, its warmest (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Oak Harbor, 15 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: FRD (FRD), 26 km.

Water about 10°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 8 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA), direct.
See flights MDW → SEA · Skyscanner from about £215 returnAd
Getting there. 2 h 10 from the airport to Smith Island.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Oak Harbor, 15 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: FRD (FRD), 26 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Smith Island · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Smith Island · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Smith Island on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Smith Island does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Smith Island, each day
Day	Scorefor Expert	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	2, too small	under 1 ft9 s	2kJ	wind from the north-west, 6 knots	12°C
Mon 19Oct	2, too small	under 1 ft9 s	2kJ	wind from the south-west, 2 knots	12°C
Tue 20Oct	1, too small	under 1 ft3 s	0kJ	wind from the north-west, 3 knots	13°C
Wed 21Oct	1, too small	under 1 ft9 s	0kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots	12°C
Thu 22Oct	1, too small	1 ft5 s	3kJ	wind from the west, 14 knots	12°C
Fri 23Oct	1, too small	1 ft2 s	1kJ	wind from the south-west, 10 knots	11°C
Sat 24Oct	2, too small	under 1 ft5 s	1kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 20 knots, offshore	11°C
Sun 25Oct	3, too small	2 ft3 s	5kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 12 knots	12°C
Mon 26Oct	1, too small	under 1 ft2 s	0kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore	11°C
Tue 27Oct	0, too small	under 1 ft7 s	0kJ	wind from the north-west, 8 knots	10°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. 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 expert surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight MDW to SEA, then 2h 10 by road. About 8h 10 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: under 1 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: under 1 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: under 1 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight MDW to SEA, then 2h 10 by road. About 8h 10 door to door

Rough cost

About £740–£1,370 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return MDW to SEA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag	£215–£445
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£115–£190
Food	7 days eating out	£260–£480
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£115–£190
Total		£740–£1,370

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

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In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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