Francis Beach Surf Guide

Francis Beach in San Mateo is an exposed beach break that has pretty consitent surf and can work at any time of the year. Works best in offshore winds from the east. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the best swell direction is from the west. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Best around high tide. A fairly popluar wave that can sometimes get crowded Watch out for rips and sharks.

Francis Beach Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach2fairly consistent
15.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Francis Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Francis Beach occur when a West swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East.

What's the best time of year to surf Francis Beach (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Francis Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 51% of the time in January while 47% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 2% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
51%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
47%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
2%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Francis Beach Location Map

Interactive Francis Beach surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Francis Beach is San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in USA, 20 km (12 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Francis Beach is Moffett Federal Afld (Mountain View) Airport (NUQ), also in USA, 35 km (22 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Francis Beach Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 08:34 Local Time
Thursday 07
8AM11AM2PM5PM
Wave (m)
0.8
W
0.8
W
0.8
W
0.8
W
Period (s) 12 12 12 12
Wind (km/h)
10
20
20
20
Wind State cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on

Swell History at Francis Beach

Surf stats for Francis Beach, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Francis Beach

Wind stats for Francis Beach, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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