Garrapata
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
12Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 17 s
Mon 2 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft17 shollow
- Energy
- 905kJ
- Wind
- E 1 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 1,692kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,499kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 392kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 1,870kJ
- Wind
- N 11 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 2,237kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,069kJ
- Wind
- NW 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 146, fair
- Mon 241, poor
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 521, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Aug–Nov2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 253kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 41, poor | 4 ft17 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 905kJ | offshorewind from the east, 1 knot, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft14 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 1,692kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft10 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.) | 1,499kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 21, poor | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 392kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft12 shollow10 ft at break (est.) | 1,870kJ | wind from the north, 11 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft12 shollow11 ft at break (est.) | 2,237kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft10 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 1,069kJ | wind from the north-west, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft11 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.) | 1,633kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 715kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 04:33 +0.4 mLow 09:03 +0.0 mHigh 14:43 +0.7 mLow 22:15 −1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:23 +0.5 mLow 10:39 −0.1 mHigh 16:12 +0.6 mLow 23:13 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:05 +0.6 mLow 11:55 −0.3 mHigh 17:36 +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 Aug–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 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
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Garrapata on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Garrapata
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More surf near here
5 places
- Carmel River 12.8 km away
- Carmel 14.4 km away
- Ghost tree 15.9 km away
- Cypress 18.4 km away
- The Wharf 20.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Garrapata
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (257°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (77°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August, September, October and November, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Carmel By The Sea.
Water about 15°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$1,100–US$1,990 each
about US$1,100–US$1,990 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 ORD to MRY, 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$47–US$74 |
| 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$1,100–US$1,990 |
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
26 min by car · 58 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Carmel By The Sea its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Big Sur on Booking.com
34 min by car · 9 places to stay
- Beds in Monterey on Booking.com
35 min by car · 80 places to stay
Nearest beds: Carmel By The Sea, 15 km (about 30 min by car)
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 7h 10m
About 7h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MRY, direct, then 40 min by road
Flights ORD → MRY on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.