Stinson Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, Rusty here. Let's talk about Stinson Beach. It's a pretty grim outlook, to be honest. We've got a long stretch of nothing much to get excited about, and it takes over a week before we see any real quality. The water is sitting at 62°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that's a small comfort if you're desperate for a paddle.

Right now, through the end of August and into the first days of September, it's just a waste of time. We've got small, weak swell from the southwest, around 1 ft to 3 ft, but it's all cross-onshore and chopped up. The combined energy is there in the hundreds (357-850) but the wind just ruins it. This is all just poor surf conditions, day after day. You'd be better off watching the horizon.

There's a little flicker of hope on Saturday, September 5th. The morning shows a glassy 3 ft southwest groundswell with a long 16-second period. The energy is moderate (639), and it's glassy. This could be a fun little session on a longboard if you get out early before the wind kicks in. Sunday, September 6th looks similar with another glassy morning and 3 ft swell from the SSW. These are the only two decent windows in the first week, and they are short.

Then from Monday the 7th through to the 9th, we're back to poor conditions. Tuesday the 8th has a clean, glassy morning with 5 ft of WNW swell, but that's getting into the size where it might be a bit much for beginners, and the period is a short 9 seconds, so the shape won't be amazing. It's still a standout in this flat spell though.

The real highlight, the only true standout in this whole 16-day window, is Thursday morning, September 10th. This is the one to circle on your calendar. We're looking at a clean 7 ft groundswell from the WNW with an 11-second period. The energy jumps up to a strong 1290, and with that light offshore NNE breeze, it's going to be damn near perfect. That size is for experienced surfers only – over 8 ft it's expert territory but 7 ft is a solid step up.

After that, it dribbles away. Friday the 11th is marginal with a dropping 5 ft swell, and then from the 12th onward it's back to nothing but small, onshore junk. The last week of the forecast is just small, weak, and poor.

The best advice I can give you is to wait for that Thursday morning, September 10th. It's a long way off, and forecasts can shift, but if it holds, it will be the only day worth paddling out. For everything else, leave your boards in the car.

Rusty.

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