San Francisco
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 121kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Thu 5 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 141kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 87kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- SSE 13 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- S 23 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 176kJ
- Wind
- S 27 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 278, good
- Tue 323, too small
- Wed 446, fair
- Thu 562, good
- Fri 643, too small
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 822, poor
- Mon 920, poor
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 275kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 46, fair | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 121kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 62, good | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 141kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 43, too small | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 87kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 13 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 22, poor | 3 ft6 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the south, 23 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 20, poor | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 176kJ | wind from the south, 27 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 680kJ | wind from the south, 17 knots | 16°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 NovLow 03:00 −0.8 mHigh 09:29 +1.0 mLow 16:02 −1.0 mHigh 22:26 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:25 −0.8 mHigh 10:51 +1.0 mLow 17:22 −1.0 mHigh 23:43 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:43 −0.9 mHigh 12:03 +1.1 mLow 18:28 −1.1 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
No month stands out
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 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
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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 and its town
San Francisco 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Cantos, Mougas 2.9 km away
- Santa María de Oya 2.9 km away
- depuradora 10.2 km away
- Patos 15.2 km away
- El Portillon 17.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About San Francisco
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (266°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (86°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in June, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Oia, 3.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,090–US$2,050 each
about US$1,090–US$2,050 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 ORD to VGO, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$442–US$918 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$348 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$234–US$442 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$100–US$167 |
| Total | about US$1,090–US$2,050 |
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
about 10 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Oia its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Baiona on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 20 places to stay
- Beds in Nigran on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 12 places to stay
About US$80 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 17h 45m
About 17h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → VGO, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → VGO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.