El Granada, United States
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Half Moon Bay, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 16 km.
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About El Granada
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces SW (206°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (26°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 85). 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). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Half Moon Bay, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 16 km. Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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Book the trip
From Chicago: about 6 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), direct.
See flights MDW → SFO · Skyscanner from about £225 returnAdGetting there. 35 min from the airport to El Granada.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Half Moon Bay, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 16 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in El Granada · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in El Granada · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
El Granada on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 24, too small | 4 ft9 ssoft | 257kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 31, poor | 6 ft8 smushy | 397kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 54, good | 7 ft10 ssoft | 900kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 27, too small | 5 ft8 ssoft | 287kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 13, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft | 109kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 32, poor | 6 ft6 smushy | 243kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 32, poor | 6 ft7 smushy | 331kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 21, too small | 4 ft6 smushy | 140kJ | offshorewind from the north, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 36, fair | 5 ft7 smushy | 257kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 14, too small | 4 ft7 smushy | 153kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 22°C |
Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.
Your trip, day by day
6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 35 min by road. About 6h 55 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf El Granada
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 7 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Too small: 5 ft at best.
- Thu 22 OctRest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
- Fri 23 OctSurf El Granada
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 6 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.
- Sat 24 OctSurf El Granada
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 7 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 35 min by road. About 6h 55 door to door
Rough cost
About £660–£1,250 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.
| 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 | £225–£470 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | £25–£45 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £260–£480 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £115–£190 |
| Total | £660–£1,250 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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