Staying Home Sucks, home
Looking toward Watch Hill from east
Watch Hill, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: Juliancolton, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

North Bar

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

9Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: too small (3 ft swell at 7 s), onshore wind, 12 kn (22 km/h)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 s
Energy
6kJ
Wind
W 10 kn
Temp
15°C

Wed 4 · 2 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
4kJ
Wind
WSW 9 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
10kJ
Wind
SW 10 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 12 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 s
Energy
66kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 s
Energy
70kJ
Wind
WNW 12 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 s
Energy
15kJ
Wind
NW 13 kn
Temp
12°C

Mon 9 · 8 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 s
Energy
39kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
11°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 23, too small
  2. Tue 33, too small
  3. Wed 42, too small
  4. Thu 53, too small
  5. Fri 612, too small
  6. Sat 715, too small
  7. Sun 87, too small
  8. Mon 98, too small
  9. Tue 102, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–14 ftof swell
  • Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Feb–Mar, Sep1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at North Bar, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov3, too small1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the west, 12 knots15°C
Tue 3Nov3, too small1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the west, 10 knots15°C
Wed 4Nov2, too small1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the west-south-west, 9 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov3, too small1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.)10kJwind from the south-west, 10 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov12, too small4 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.)66kJwind from the south, 7 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov15, too small3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.)70kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore16°C
Sun 8Nov7, too small1 ft9 s2 ft at break (est.)15kJwind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore12°C
Mon 9Nov8, too small2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the east, 6 knots11°C
Tue 10Nov2, too small3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.)48kJwind from the east-north-east, 27 knots13°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 01:52 +0.5 mLow 08:05 −0.4 mHigh 14:19 +0.5 mLow 20:49 −0.5 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:58 +0.5 mLow 09:19 −0.4 mHigh 15:24 +0.5 mLow 21:48 −0.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:58 +0.6 mLow 10:24 −0.5 mHigh 16:22 +0.5 mLow 22:40 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

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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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About North Bar

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SE (155°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (335°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March and September, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Watch Hill, 7.3 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 dive sites.

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$1,980 each

about US$1,110–US$1,980 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to PVD, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$167–US$348
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,110–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: Watch Hill

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Watch Hill

about 15 min by car · 8 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 8 places to stay in Watch Hill · Booking.com

About Watch Hill its beds, food and every spot near it

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 5h 30m

About 5h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → PVD, direct, then 1h 20m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.