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Will Rogers, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Santa Monica

All 23 on Santa Monica's map

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Ocean Avenue
Santa Monica, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: Mike Gonzalez ( TheCoffee ), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Will Rogers

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

The spot faces SW (210°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (30°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 75). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually July, August, September and October, with about 6 good days in 7; in March, April and May, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Monica, 3.5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 6 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), direct.

    See flights MDW → LAX · Skyscanner from about £215 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 35 min from the airport to Will Rogers.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Santa MonicaAd

    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 Santa Monica · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Santa Monica · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Will Rogers on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct642 ft14 scrumbling180kJ24°C
Mon 19Oct613 ft13 ssoft258kJ23°C
Tue 20Oct583 ft12 ssoft216kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct683 ft12 ssoft169kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct612 ft11 ssoft104kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct492 ft6 smushy42kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct712 ft12 scrumbling78kJ23°C
Sun 25Oct652 ft12 scrumbling58kJ24°C
Mon 26Oct531 ft11 scrumbling43kJ24°C
Tue 27Oct482 ft5 smushy21kJ24°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 beginner surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to LAX, then 35 min by road. About 6h 40 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Will Rogers

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Will Rogers

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Chart House

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 2 ft at 11 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Chart House

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 2 ft at 11 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Chart House

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 2 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to LAX, then 35 min by road. About 6h 40 door to door

The plan picks the best of 9 spots near Santa Monica each day: Bay Street, Santa Monica, Chart House, Ocean Park, Santa Monica, Santa Monica - Samo 20, Sunset, Venice Breakwater, Venice Pier, Venice - Rose Avenue, Will Rogers.

The trip from Santa Monica, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £920–£1,680 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 LAX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£215–£450
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£25–£40
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£920–£1,680

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

Places to eat near Santa Monica

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

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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

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