Noriega
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
49Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 16 s
Mon 2 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft16 ssoft
- Energy
- 771kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 723kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 667kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,071kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,028kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 372kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 154, fair
- Mon 278, good
- Tue 330, poor
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 872, good
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 1029, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Oct–Dec3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 4 ft16 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 771kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 30, poor | 5 ft13 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 723kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 667kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft12 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 1,071kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 1,028kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 72, good | 5 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 372kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 831kJ | wind from the east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 29, poor | 5 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 484kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 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 04:42 +0.5 mLow 09:23 +0.0 mHigh 15:04 +0.7 mLow 22:25 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:35 +0.6 mLow 10:56 −0.1 mHigh 16:32 +0.6 mLow 23:25 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:20 +0.7 mLow 12:12 −0.3 mHigh 17:56 +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–Dec
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
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 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 Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Noriega 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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Photos of Noriega
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More surf near here
5 places
- Ocean Beach San Francisco 1.3 km away
- Taraval 1.4 km away
- The Cogwheel 3.7 km away
- Land's End Beach 3.8 km away
- Deadman's 3.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Noriega
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (251°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (71°). 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 800 m out (1 in 81). 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 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually October, November and December, with about 3 good days in 7; in June and July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is San Francisco, 9.9 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots and 1 climbing area.
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$1,110–US$2,000 each
about US$1,110–US$2,000 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$54–US$87 |
| 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$1,110–US$2,000 |
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
17 min by car · 566 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About San Francisco its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Sausalito on Booking.com
21 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in South San Francisco on Booking.com
25 min by car · 48 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 7h
About 7h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SFO, direct, then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → SFO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.