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North Potato Patch
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
56Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 10 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft16 s
- Energy
- 681kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 s
- Energy
- 614kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 s
- Energy
- 424kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 s
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft12 s
- Energy
- 844kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 s
- Energy
- 692kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 82 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 s
- Energy
- 311kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 158, fair
- Mon 278, good
- Tue 338, poor
- Wed 423, poor
- Thu 565, good
- Fri 617, poor
- Sat 717, poor
- Sun 882, good
- Mon 916, poor
- Tue 1033, poor
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 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Nov–Feb3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
North Potato Patch does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft12 s5 ft at break (est.) | 220kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 4 ft16 s5 ft at break (est.) | 681kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 38, poor | 4 ft13 s6 ft at break (est.) | 614kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 23, poor | 6 ft9 s7 ft at break (est.) | 424kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 65, good | 4 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, poor | 6 ft12 s6 ft at break (est.) | 844kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 17, poor | 6 ft11 s6 ft at break (est.) | 692kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 82, good | 4 ft10 s5 ft at break (est.) | 311kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 16, poor | 6 ft10 s7 ft at break (est.) | 599kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 33, poor | 5 ft10 s6 ft at break (est.) | 399kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 17°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 04:49 +0.5 mLow 09:28 +0.0 mHigh 15:11 +0.7 mLow 22:31 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:42 +0.6 mLow 11:01 −0.1 mHigh 16:39 +0.6 mLow 23:30 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:27 +0.7 mLow 12:18 −0.3 mHigh 18:03 +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 Nov–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 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
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 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 and its town
North Potato Patch 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Fort Cronkite (Rodeo Beach) 2.4 km away
- The Cogwheel 6.1 km away
- Land's End Beach 6.2 km away
- Deadman's 6.4 km away
- Fort Point 7.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About North Potato Patch
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (234°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (54°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. 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 January, February, November and December, with about 3 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Mill Valley, 9.6 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 13°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$1,120–US$2,020 each
about US$1,120–US$2,020 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$67–US$107 |
| 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$1,120–US$2,020 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Mill Valley
17 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Mill Valley 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 7h 05m
About 7h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SFO, direct, then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → SFO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.