Data
The cheapest surf trips right now, by departure city
Real round trips we have seen priced, each into a month the break rates good. Pick your city: the cheapest trip depends on where you start.
44 of the 124 breaks we score pair an observed round trip from at least one of these 5 cities with a month they rate good. Each city gets its own list, because the cheapest trip depends on where you start. A break within 450 miles of a city is a drive, so it stays off that city's list, and the 2 big-wave breaks (Mavericks and Nazare) stay off every list.
From New York
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1
South Carolina · USANovember, out of JFK 2 ft faces 37% of days worth paddling
Jettied beachbreak. SE swell and NW offshore.
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2
Florida · USAJanuary, out of JFK 2 ft faces 52% of days worth paddling
First Peak jetty wedge. NE swell and SW offshore.
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3
North Carolina · USANovember, out of LGA 2 ft faces 42% of days worth paddling
Outer-bar peaks. SE/E swell, NW offshore.
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4
Southern California · USADecember, out of JFK 3 ft faces 98% of days worth paddling
The benchmark cobblestone point: mechanical summer S-swell rights at Surfrider.
From DC and Baltimore
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1
Puerto Rico · USAOctober, out of BWI 4 ft faces 86% of days worth paddling
Winter NW Atlantic groundswell.
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2
South Carolina · USANovember, out of BWI 2 ft faces 37% of days worth paddling
Jettied beachbreak. SE swell and NW offshore.
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3
Southern California · USANovember, out of BWI 3 ft faces 100% of days worth paddling
The benchmark cobblestone point: mechanical summer S-swell rights at Surfrider.
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4
Oregon · USAOctober, out of BWI 5 ft faces 84% of days worth paddling
User-friendly beach break sheltered by the cape. Oregon's mellowest paddle-out.
From Los Angeles
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1
Washington · USAOctober, out of LAX 5 ft faces 73% of days worth paddling
Jetty-groomed A-frames at Westhaven. Washington's most reliable wave.
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2
South Carolina · USAOctober, out of LAX 2 ft faces 40% of days worth paddling
Jettied beachbreak. SE swell and NW offshore.
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3
Oregon · USAOctober, out of LAX 5 ft faces 84% of days worth paddling
User-friendly beach break sheltered by the cape. Oregon's mellowest paddle-out.
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4
Oaxaca · MexicoMarch, out of LAX 5 ft faces 98% of days worth paddling
"Mexican Pipeline". Heavy S/SW beach barrel.
From Orlando
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1
Puerto Rico · USAOctober, out of MCO 4 ft faces 86% of days worth paddling
Winter NW Atlantic groundswell.
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2
Oregon · USANovember, out of MCO 7 ft faces 78% of days worth paddling
User-friendly beach break sheltered by the cape. Oregon's mellowest paddle-out.
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3
Rhode Island · USAOctober, out of MCO 3 ft faces 62% of days worth paddling
Rocky point wraps S/SE swell. NE-wind shelter.
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4
Southern California · USANovember, out of MCO 3 ft faces 99% of days worth paddling
Right-hand reef point below the ashram. Lights up on winter W/NW groundswell.
From Jacksonville
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1
North Carolina · USAJanuary, out of JAX 2 ft faces 23% of days worth paddling
Hurricane-season E/SE groundswell.
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2
Virginia · USAOctober, out of JAX 2 ft faces 36% of days worth paddling
Rudee Inlet jetty rights. Hurricane and nor'easter swell.
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3
Southern California · USADecember, out of JAX 3 ft faces 98% of days worth paddling
The benchmark cobblestone point: mechanical summer S-swell rights at Surfrider.
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4
Southern California · USAOctober, out of JAX 3 ft faces 99% of days worth paddling
Surf City USA: ultra-consistent pier sandbars that catch nearly every swell.
Ranked by round trips we priced on live searches, pulled 16 October 2026. We leave the price off: fares move every day. The app shows the live fare for your dates.
How a trip makes the list
Each row is one break, its cheapest good month from that city, and the airport that fare left from. A month counts as good when it scores at least 85% of that break's own best month, with typical faces of 2 feet or more.
The ranking uses a real round trip a live search returned, from an airport our readers fly from. We never rank an estimate. We leave the price off: fares move every day, and the app shows the live fare for your dates.
Face height and paddling days are hindcast medians, not a forecast.
Cheap only counts when the waves show up. Every month here clears its break's own good bar first, then the fare ranks it.
Where the cheaper month holds up
When we hold fares for two good months at the same break, we compare them: which month priced lower, and how close it stays to peak.
Barra de la Cruz: out of JAX, April has priced lower than October, and still holds 99% of a typical October day.
Puerto Escondido (Zicatela): out of JFK, November has priced lower than April, and still holds 91% of a typical April day.
One Eye, Tamarin: out of LGA, October has priced lower than November, and still holds 98% of a typical November day.
Swami's: out of MCO, November has priced lower than October, and still holds 98% of a typical October day.
1st Street Jetty, Virginia Beach: out of LAX, November has priced lower than October, and still holds 85% of a typical October day.
Both months in every line were priced on live searches from the same airport. The percentage compares that break's own months, never one break to another.
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Wave figures are medians of a daily surf score computed from ERA5 and GFS-Wave hindcast at each break, over the seasons available since 2022. Fares are round trips returned by live flight searches we run for our readers' home airports. Season bands come from the same scoring the app uses. All spot pages · When each spot is actually good · More articles