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Moonstone, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Cambria

Watch this spot We email you when Moonstone is worth the trip.

Moonstone Beach Side View
Moonstone. Photo: Jar965, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Moonstone

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (233°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (53°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 59). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in April, 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 July, August, September and October, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cambria, 3.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.

Water about 15°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 9 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to MRY, direct.

    See flights ORD → MRY · Skyscanner from about £225 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h 35 from the airport to Moonstone.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in CambriaAd

    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 Cambria · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Cambria · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Moonstone on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct495 ft9 ssoft373kJ25°C
Mon 19Oct405 ft10 ssoft443kJ20°C
Tue 20Oct304 ft10 ssoft280kJ19°C
Wed 21Oct365 ft9 ssoft296kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct454 ft7 smushy130kJ18°C
Fri 23Oct435 ft6 smushy125kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct455 ft7 smushy229kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct414 ft7 smushy109kJ19°C
Mon 26Oct375 ft7 smushy210kJ16°C
Tue 27Oct455 ft7 smushy205kJ18°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 ORD to MRY, then 2h 35 by road. About 9h 05 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Ponytails

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Moonstone

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 1 kn (3 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Moonstone

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Moonstone

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Moonstone

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to MRY, then 2h 35 by road. About 9h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Cambria each day: Cliffs, Leffingwell Landing, Moonstone beach, Moonstone, Ponytails.

The trip from Cambria, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,020–£1,845 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 ORD to MRY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£225–£465
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£115–£190
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£1,020–£1,845

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

Places to eat near Cambria

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.