🎯 How it works

One score.
Every wave.

SwellIQ takes the complexity of surf forecasting and turns it into a single number you can act on. Here's exactly how.

82
SwellScore — Epic conditions
A score of 82 means the surf is excellent today. The swell is hitting at the right angle, the wind is offshore, and the tide is in the ideal window. Go surf.
The basics

What is the SwellScore?

The SwellScore is a 0–100 rating that tells you exactly how good the surf is at any spot, right now. It's not a guess or a vibe — it's calculated from live wave, wind, and tide data pulled from multiple independent sources and compared against each spot's specific ideal conditions.

A 90+ is all-time conditions. A 70–89 is a great day worth driving to. A 50–69 is solid, worth paddling out. Below 40? You might want to check the forecast and wait for the next swell.

The factors

What makes a great wave

Every SwellScore weighs these factors together. The real magic is how they're calibrated differently for every spot — based on what locals actually know about how each break works.

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Wave Height
Size matters — but only relative to each spot. A 2ft day at one beach can be perfect; the same swell at another break might be too small to break right.
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Swell Period
Period (seconds between waves) determines wave power and shape. Longer is generally better — but each spot has its own sweet spot. Some breaks reward shorter periods. Others need long, organized groundswell.
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Swell Direction
Every break has an ideal swell angle. Hit it from the wrong direction and even a big day will underwhelm. Hit it dead-on and a small day can fire.
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Wind
Offshore winds (blowing from land to sea) groom waves perfectly. Onshore winds blow spray back, creating messy choppy conditions. Wind strength matters too.
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Tide
Many breaks only work at specific tide stages. Some need low tide over shallow reef. Others come alive on a pushing mid. The right tide is often the difference between firing and flat.
Real examples

Why one spot scores a 28 vs an 87

Same spot, different conditions. Here's exactly why the score changes.

87
Lower Trestles
Epic
5ft · 14s NW swell · Offshore SE winds · Mid tide
Perfect northwest swell direction for Trestles, powerful 14-second period, light offshore winds grooming the face, and ideal mid tide. Every factor is aligned.
52
Lower Trestles
Good
4ft · 9s SW swell · Side-offshore winds · Low tide
Decent size but the swell direction is south — not ideal for Trestles which wants northwest. The shorter period makes it less powerful. Still rideable, just not firing.
28
Lower Trestles
Poor
2ft · 7s · Strong onshore NW winds
Small, short-period windswell blown apart by onshore winds. This is the kind of day most experienced surfers stay home — or find a protected spot.
The difference

No two spots score the same way

Most forecasts hand you the same generic numbers no matter where you're surfing. A 14-second swell at one beach is perfect; the same swell three miles up the coast can be too much for the bottom contour. SwellIQ scores every spot against its own ideal conditions — calibrated with input from surfers and coaches who actually know how each break works.

That's the difference between a generic forecast and an actual prediction.

AI personalization

Your score, built for you

Here's the thing Surfline doesn't do: the same conditions mean completely different things depending on who's surfing. A 2ft day at your local beach break could be perfect for a beginner and a waste of time for an advanced surfer. SwellIQ accounts for this.

91
Beginner
2ft, clean, light winds
Perfect. Safe, manageable waves to practice on. A 2ft day at a beach break is a beginner's dream.
68
Intermediate
2ft, clean, light winds
Good, but not exciting. An intermediate surfer can ride this easily, but would prefer more size to work with.
34
Advanced
2ft, clean, light winds
Below average. An advanced surfer wants power and size. 2ft is barely worth paddling out for at their level.

Set your skill level in your profile and every score across every spot will be recalculated specifically for you. The general score is always visible too — so you can see both.

The data

Where the data comes from

We don't rely on a single source. SwellIQ pulls from 5+ independent data providers simultaneously, then builds a consensus. More sources means higher confidence and more accurate scores.

Open-Meteo / ECMWF
Free · Always on
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. 9km resolution global wave and wind model. Our backbone source.
Stormglass
Paid · 9 ocean models
Aggregates 9 independent models including NOAA, DWD, ICON, and FMI. High-confidence consensus data.
WorldTides
Paid · Global tides
Precise tide predictions for every spot worldwide. Essential for scoring tide-sensitive breaks accurately.
NOAA Buoys
Free · Real instruments
Live readings from physical buoys in the ocean. No model — actual measured wave height, period, and direction.
Windy / GFSWave
Paid · NOAA GFS wave model
Additional wave model and webcam data from Windy. Adds swell separation — wind swell vs ground swell — to the analysis.

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