Half Moon Bay
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
14Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft15 ssoft
- Energy
- 2,233kJ
- Wind
- E 11 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,340kJ
- Wind
- E 10 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 247kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,129kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 12 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 3,489kJ
- Wind
- SSW 20 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 12 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 3,347kJ
- Wind
- E 13 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 708kJ
- Wind
- SW 14 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 470, good
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–13 ftof swell
- Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
- Best in Sep3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft15 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 2,233kJ | wind from the east, 11 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft12 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 1,340kJ | wind from the east, 10 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 70, good | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 smushy11 ft at break (est.) | 1,129kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 12°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 12 ft11 ssoft15 ft at break (est.) | 3,489kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 20 knots | 13°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 12 ft11 ssoft15 ft at break (est.) | 3,347kJ | wind from the east, 13 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 708kJ | wind from the south-west, 14 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 11 ft11 ssoft14 ft at break (est.) | 2,464kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 14 ft12 ssoft17 ft at break (est.) | 5,486kJ | wind from the south, 23 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 12 ft10 ssoft14 ft at break (est.) | 2,609kJ | wind from the south, 22 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 06:38 +0.8 mLow 12:19 −0.4 mHigh 18:01 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:48 −1.3 mHigh 07:36 +0.9 mLow 13:38 −0.7 mHigh 19:28 +0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 01:50 −1.2 mHigh 08:26 +1.1 mLow 14:44 −1.0 mHigh 20:45 +0.8 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 in 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
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 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
Half Moon Bay 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
3 places
- Westheaven State Park 0.3 km away
- The Groins 0.9 km away
- Westport 2.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Half Moon Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (294°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (114°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 115). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 9°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 month is usually September, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Westport, 2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 3 wind sports spots.
Water about 11°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,190–US$2,150 each
about US$1,190–US$2,150 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SEA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$517 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$302–US$503 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$148–US$242 |
| Total | about US$1,190–US$2,150 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Westport its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tokeland on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 4 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 8h 55m
About 8h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SEA, direct, then 2h 55m by road
Flights MDW → SEA on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.