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Mavericks, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Half Moon Bay

All 12 on Half Moon Bay's map

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

2010 mavericks competition
Mavericks. Photo: Shalom Jacobovitz, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Mavericks

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

The spot faces SW (245°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (65°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. 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 expert surfers the best months are usually January and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Half Moon Bay, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). 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.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), direct.

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

  2. Getting there. 40 min from the airport to Mavericks.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Half Moon BayAd

    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 Half Moon Bay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Half Moon Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Mavericks on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct274 ft5 s99kJ17°C
Mon 19Oct336 ft8 s411kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct597 ft11 s1,000kJ18°C
Wed 21Oct335 ft8 s311kJ17°C
Thu 22Oct113 ft8 s97kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct366 ft6 s245kJ18°C
Sat 24Oct337 ft7 s377kJ16°C
Sun 25Oct255 ft6 s157kJ19°C
Mon 26Oct425 ft7 s281kJ24°C
Tue 27Oct194 ft7 s178kJ22°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. 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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 40 min by road. About 6h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Mavericks

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 7 ft at 11 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Mavericks

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Francis Beach

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 6 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Francis Beach

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 7 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 40 min by road. About 6h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Half Moon Bay each day: Francis Beach, Mavericks, Roosevelt Beach, Venice Beach.

The trip from Half Moon Bay, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £935–£1,710 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£30–£50
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£935–£1,710

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

Places to eat near Half Moon Bay

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.