Francis Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 8 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 1,083kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 977kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 593kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,793kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,246kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 695kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,843kJ
- Wind
- S 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 256, fair
- Tue 347, fair
- Wed 473, good
- Thu 546, fair
- Fri 665, good
- Sat 766, good
- Sun 860, good
- Mon 965, good
- Tue 1056, fair
- Wed 1163, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Oct–Nov3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 56, fair | 6 ft16 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 1,436kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 47, fair | 7 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 1,083kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 73, good | 8 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 977kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 46, fair | 5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 593kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 65, good | 9 ft11 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,793kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 66, good | 9 ft12 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 2,246kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 60, good | 6 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 695kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 65, good | 9 ft11 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,843kJ | wind from the south, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 56, fair | 8 ft12 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,835kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 63, good | 9 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,495kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:30 +0.5 mLow 10:50 −0.1 mHigh 16:21 +0.6 mLow 23:19 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:13 +0.6 mLow 12:06 −0.3 mHigh 17:46 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:13 −0.8 mHigh 06:52 +0.7 mLow 13:07 −0.6 mHigh 19:01 +0.5 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Oct–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Francis Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Francis Beach
More surf near here
5 places
- Venice Beach 1.2 km away
- Roosevelt Beach 2.3 km away
- El Granada 4.1 km away
- Princeton Breakwater 4.1 km away
- Mavericks 4.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Francis Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (240°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (60°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 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 12°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually October and November, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Half Moon Bay, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,090–US$1,980 each
about US$1,090–US$1,980 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SFO, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$261–US$536 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$60 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,090–US$1,980 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Half Moon Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Montara on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Pacifica on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 11 places to stay
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 6h 55m
About 6h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SFO, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → SFO on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.