The best place to surf today
A live leaderboard of the world's best surf spots, scored on swell height, period, wind and water temperature. Updated daily.
Click a row to see the full score breakdown. Weather data from Open-Meteo, refreshed daily.
How the score works
Every location gets a weighted composite score out of 10, using the factors on the right. It is transparent by design. Expand any row above to see the exact contribution of each factor.
Combines swell height and period into one score. Sweet spot is 1.5 to 3m at 10s or more. Under 0.5m is flat, 5m+ is specialist territory.
How head-on the swell hits the beach. A well-aligned swell unlocks the full quality score; oblique angles reduce it.
Offshore or glassy conditions score highest. Onshore above 30 km/h is blowout territory.
Frequently asked questions
How often is this updated?
Once a day, at around 06:00 UTC. We pull fresh swell, wave and wind data for every spot, recalculate each score, and save a daily snapshot.
How is the score calculated?
Each spot gets a weighted composite score out of 10, based on swell height (with a sweet-spot curve), swell period, wind strength and water temperature. Expand any row to see the exact breakdown.
Why isn't the biggest swell always the best score?
Bigger is not always better. Most surfers want head-high to slightly overhead waves, which is roughly 1.5m to 3m swell height at the buoy. Anything over 5m is specialist territory and the score reflects that, not raw size.
Where does the data come from?
Open-Meteo Marine API, which aggregates forecasts from global wave models. The same underlying data powers many surf forecast apps.
Do the scores account for local knowledge?
Honestly, no. Every break has its own moods, tide windows and swell directions. The leaderboard is a useful starting point for comparing conditions globally, but nothing beats a quick check of your local cam and forecast app.
What do the movement arrows mean?
They show rank change compared to yesterday's snapshot. Green up-arrows mean the spot climbed the leaderboard; red down-arrows mean it dropped.
Ready to go where it's firing?
Browse seasonal jobs in the top-scoring locations. Free, always.