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Montara, United States

Stay in Montara: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Montara

All 9 on Montara's map

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Pacific - panoramio
Montara. Photo: Vadim Manuylov, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Montara

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details 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 (about 5 min by car). 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.

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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.

  1. Fly. MDW to SFO, direct.

    See flights MDW → SFO · Skyscanner from about £225 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 35 min from the airport to Montara.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in MontaraAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Montara · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Montara · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Montara on Google Maps · Directions

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

Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct385 ft6 smushy113kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct186 ft8 smushy340kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct06 ft11 scrumbling781kJ16°C
Wed 21Oct594 ft8 smushy152kJ17°C
Thu 22Oct253 ft10 shollow118kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct213 ft8 shollow110kJ16°C
Sat 24Oct194 ft5 smushy78kJ15°C
Sun 25Oct443 ft7 smushy100kJ14°C
Mon 26Oct485 ft7 smushy260kJ14°C
Tue 27Oct604 ft7 smushy150kJ14°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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 35 min by road. About 6h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Montara

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Montara

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 10 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Montara

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Montara

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 35 min by road. About 6h 55 door to door

The trip from Montara, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £930–£1,700 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SFO, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£225–£470
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£25–£40
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£930–£1,700

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Montara

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.