Montara
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 8 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 1,218kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,076kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 562kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 1,741kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,741kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 653kJ
- Wind
- NNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 1,536kJ
- Wind
- NW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 352, fair
- Wed 464, good
- Thu 538, too small
- Fri 626, poor
- Sat 730, poor
- Sun 845, fair
- Mon 912, poor
- Tue 1062, good
- Wed 1132, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Sep–Dec3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 52, fair | 6 ft13 shollow10 ft at break (est.) | 1,218kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 64, good | 8 ft9 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.) | 1,076kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 38, too small | 5 ft11 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 562kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 26, poor | 8 ft12 smushy12 ft at break (est.) | 1,741kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 30, poor | 9 ft11 scrumbling12 ft at break (est.) | 1,741kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 45, fair | 6 ft10 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 653kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, poor | 9 ft11 smushy11 ft at break (est.) | 1,536kJ | wind from the north-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 62, good | 8 ft11 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.) | 1,523kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 32, poor | 9 ft10 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.) | 1,458kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 18°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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:15 +0.6 mLow 12:07 −0.3 mHigh 17:49 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:15 −0.8 mHigh 06:54 +0.7 mLow 13:09 −0.6 mHigh 19:03 +0.5 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 01:04 −0.7 mHigh 07:31 +0.8 mLow 14:01 −0.8 mHigh 20:08 +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 Sep–Dec
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 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
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Wed 4 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, its town, photos
Montara on Google Maps · Directions
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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Photos of Montara
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More surf near here
5 places
- Gray Whale Cove 2.1 km away
- Linda Mar 5.7 km away
- Pedro Point 5.8 km away
- Princeton Breakwater 6.4 km away
- El Granada 6.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Montara
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (270°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (90°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 19). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 September, October, November and December, with about 3 good days in 7; in May, June and July, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Montara, 0.5 km away (1 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 mountain bike area.
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$1,090–US$1,970 each
about US$1,090–US$1,970 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 2 November 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$262–US$537 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$34–US$54 |
| 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$1,090–US$1,970 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
1 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Montara its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Pacifica on Booking.com
9 min by car · 11 places to stay
- Beds in Half Moon Bay on Booking.com
10 min by car · 10 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 6h 55m
About 6h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SFO, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → SFO on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
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.