North Bar
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: too small (2 ft swell at 6 s), 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 s
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 s
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- WNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 s
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Mon 9 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 s
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 36, too small
- Wed 44, too small
- Thu 57, too small
- Fri 628, poor
- Sat 733, too small
- Sun 834, too small
- Mon 927, too small
- Tue 106, 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
North Bar does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the west, 12 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, poor | 4 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 33, too small | 3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 6, too small | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 27 knots | 13°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.
Best time to go
best Feb–Mar, Sep
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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 and its town
North Bar on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- east beach lighthouse 6.4 km away
- Napatree Jetty 6.6 km away
- Misquamicut State Beach 10.1 km away
- Dickeys 10.5 km away
- Fenway 12.9 km away
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PVD, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$167–US$348 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$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
about 15 min by car · 8 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
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
Flights MDW → PVD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.