Staying Home Sucks, home
Climbing up from Tunitas Beach
Tunitas Creek. Photo: Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tunitas Creek

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

14Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 11 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft13 ssoft
Energy
1,269kJ
Wind
SSE 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 ssoft
Energy
814kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 70 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 ssoft
Energy
456kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,931kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft12 ssoft
Energy
2,499kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft11 ssoft
Energy
777kJ
Wind
NNW 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Mon 9 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft11 ssoft
Energy
2,005kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
19°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 240, poor
  2. Tue 30, too big
  3. Wed 40, too big
  4. Thu 570, good
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 80, too big
  8. Mon 90, too big
  9. Tue 100, too big
  10. Wed 110, too big

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 Oct–Nov3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Tunitas Creek does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Tunitas Creek, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov40, poor4 ft17 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)924kJwind from the east, 2 knots, offshore17°C
Tue 3Nov0, too big6 ft13 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)1,269kJwind from the south-south-east, 8 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov0, too big8 ft8 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)814kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov70, good5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)456kJwind from the north, 4 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big10 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)1,931kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big10 ft12 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)2,499kJwind from the east, 4 knots24°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big6 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)777kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots19°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big10 ft11 ssoft12 ft at break (est.)2,005kJwind from the north, 5 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big9 ft12 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,952kJwind from the north, 4 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big9 ft10 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,623kJwind from the south, 5 knots18°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 05:30 +0.5 mLow 10:50 −0.1 mHigh 16:21 +0.6 mLow 23:19 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:13 +0.6 mLow 12:06 −0.3 mHigh 17:46 +0.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:13 −0.8 mHigh 06:52 +0.7 mLow 13:07 −0.6 mHigh 19:01 +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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Tunitas Creek

Tunitas Beach 2012-01-08 cliff level.gk
Photo: User:Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Vista in San Mateo County (11682)
Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Beach and Cliff
Photo: David Baron from San Francisco, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Tunitas Creek

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (259°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (79°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 69). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in September, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually October and November, 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 Pescadero. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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$1,120–US$2,030 each

about US$1,120–US$2,030 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SFO, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$262–US$537
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$67–US$114
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$302–US$503
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$148–US$242
Totalabout US$1,120–US$2,030

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

Closest

Pescadero

about 20 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Pescadero · Booking.com

About Pescadero its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Pescadero, 12 km (about 20 min by car)

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 7h 10m

About 7h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SFO, direct, then 50 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.