Stinson Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The next couple of weeks around here are a bit of a mixed bag, with some small windows of clean surf, but you’re gonna have to be patient and pick your moments. The standout period looks like it could be the first week of September, but let’s walk through it day by day.

Stinson Beach

Right now, things are pretty flat and messy. This Saturday, the 22nd of August, we’ve got tiny 1ft swell from the SW with a very long 17-second period, but the wind is a cross-onshore breeze at 6 mph. The combined wave energy is weak (190). Not worth paddling out for. The afternoon gets worse with a bumpy 5ft windswell from the WNW and only 6 seconds between waves – total chop.

Sunday the 23rd is a tease. The morning shows a slight improvement with a 4ft swell from the WNW, 8-second period, and the wind swings onshore from the SSW at just 3 mph. It ’s glassy, but the wave quality is only marginal. The combined energy is moderate (311). It might be worth a look if you ’re desperate, but don ’t expect much.

Monday the 24th through the rest of the week is a frustrating stretch. Swell heights bounce around 2ft to 3ft, mostly from the SW or SSW with long periods (14-18 seconds), but the wind is almost always a cross-onshore breeze from the WNW at 6-16 mph. The combined energy stays in the moderate range (226-600). The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. It’s mostly poor to marginal surf.

The first real glimer of hope shows up on Friday the 28th of August. The morning has a 6ft swell from the NW with a short 7-second period, and the combined energy jumps to strong (851). The wind is a gentle cross-onshore. It’s still not perfect, but it ’s a step up. That afternoon, however, the swell drops back down and the chop returns.

Saturday the 29th of August morning brings a 3ft swell from the SW with a long 18-second period, and the combined energy hits very strong levels (1201). The wind is light cross-onshore, so it might be just about rideable for a patient surfer, but it’s still a marginal call.

Now, the real standout is looking like Wednesday the 2nd of September. The morning shows a 8ft swell from the WNW with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is massive (1676). That’s a lot of power. The wind is light and onshore from the SW at 6 mph. This is big enough that beginners should stay out of the water, and it’s going to be a handful even for experienced surfers. The wave energy is very strong, and the period is moderate, so it won ’t be super clean, but there ’ll be some size.

The next few days after that stay in the 6ft to 7ft range from the WNW, with the wind mostly cross-onshore. The energy stays high to very high (676-1283). It ’s still pretty messy for the most part.

Then, we get to the best day of the whole run: Saturday the 5th of September. This is the one to circle. The morning is glassy – dead calm wind from the ESE at just 3 mph. The swell is a clean 5ft from the WNW with an 11-second period, and the combined energy is very strong (1011). This is going to produce some clean, well-shaped waves. The offshore wind (glass) is a major positive here, and the long period groundswell will mean more energy and better shaped waves, but watch out – that long period can make beach breaks a bit straight. At Stinson, a beach break, it might be a little tricky, but with glassy conditions, it’s your best shot.

Sunday the 6th of September morning also looks decent: a 3ft swell from the SW with a 16-second period, glassy conditions from the SW at 3 mph, and moderate energy (629). A nice clean small-wave day to finish the run.

So, to sum it up: the next week or so is mostly a write-off with small, choppy surf. The real action picks up around the 2nd of September with some serious size, but the cleanest, most fun window is Saturday the 5th of September morning. That’s your standout.

Rusty

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