Stinson Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about the surf window for Stinson Beach over the next 16 days.

Right off the bat, it's a mixed bag. We've got some stretches of clean, glassy conditions, but the swell is often pretty small and the wind can get messy. The water is a bit warmer than usual for this time of year, about a touch warmer than normal, which is nice.

We'll start on Saturday, September 5th, with a small, long-period groundswell from the SSW at 3 ft, period 16 seconds. The energy is moderate (669), but the wind is a light cross-onshore in the morning, making it only marginal. The afternoon gets worse with a moderate cross-shore wind. Not one to get excited about.

Sunday, September 6th, is a washout. The swell is tiny at 3 ft, but the cross-onshore wind is a problem all day, creating choppy conditions. Give it a miss.

The standout window is Monday, September 7th, through Wednesday, September 9th. Monday morning is the real gem. The wind goes glassy with an ESE breeze at only 3 mph, and the swell is a clean 3 ft from the SSW with a period of 14 seconds. That's a long-period groundswell, so it'll have some punch and shape, but it's not too big for most. It's a great opportunity for a clean session. The crowd profile suggests it can be busy sometimes, so get out early. The wave energy is moderate (459). This is the best on offer by a long shot.

Tuesday morning, September 8th, is also glassy with a 3 ft SSW swell, period 13 seconds. The energy is a bit lower (410), but still clean. Wednesday morning, September 9th, follows the same pattern with glassy conditions and a 3 ft SSW swell, period 12 seconds (406 energy). The afternoons those days get blown out by cross-onshore winds.

Thursday, September 10th, the swell picks up a little to 3 ft from the SW, period 17 seconds, with moderate energy (786) in the morning, but it's a cross-onshore wind, so just marginal. The afternoon is a write-off. Friday, September 11th, and Saturday, September 12th, are similarly poor with choppy conditions.

From Sunday, September 13th, through the following week, the swell direction shifts to the WNW and the period drops, becoming short-period windswell. The heights increase to 5 ft to 7 ft, but the period is mostly 6-7 seconds, which makes for crumbly, weak waves. The wind is constantly cross-onshore or onshore, so it's mostly messy. The energy is moderate (280-614). Not great for a paddle, but if you're into kitesurfing, the stronger winds and lumpy beach setup might be your thing.

Another promising moment arrives on Friday, September 18th. The morning is glassy with a 6 ft swell from the NW, period 7 seconds. The energy is strong (674). That's getting solid, but with that short period, it'll be a bit fat and mushy, and the size is really only for experienced surfers. The glassy wind will make it clean, but it's a peaky, close-out machine at a beach break. Saturday morning, September 19th, is glassy again with a tiny 2 ft long-period groundswell from the SW (18 seconds), but the energy is moderate (310). A clean, small wave option.

So, overall, there's a lot of waiting for windows. The best call is Monday, September 7th, morning, with glassy conditions and a nice, clean 3 ft SSW groundswell. The second best is the glassy morning on Friday, September 18th, for the bigger 6 ft NW swell, but that's strictly for the more experienced.

Rusty.

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