Stinson Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a hard look at what’s on offer for Stinson Beach over the next few weeks. I gotta be straight with you – this stretch is looking pretty grim for paddle surfing.

We’ve got a solid 16-day window in front of us, but the honest truth is there isn’t a single day that really stands out as a good surf option. The whole forecast is a long, frustrating gap of poor to marginal conditions. From now right through to the end of the month, we’re looking at a blank run with no real recommendations. It’s a shame, because Stinson can fire, but for this period, it’s a no-go.

The main problem is that persistent, annoying cross-onshore wind from the west and northwest. It’s just constant. From Tuesday the 14th onwards, the morning starts with a small 3 ft swell from the WNW, but that 6 mph cross-on breeze already has it looking bumpy. The afternoon gets worse, with a 16 mph wind and the swell dropping to 7 seconds. The wave energy is weak, sitting around 277 (combined energy). By Wednesday the 15th, the swell bumps up to 5 ft and then 7 ft, but with wind hitting 19 mph, it’s just a choppy, lumpy mess. The energy gets moderate at best, hitting 575, but it’s all poor quality.

There’s a glimmer of something different around Saturday the 18th. We get a groundswell from the SW, with a period that jumps up to 17 seconds. The swell is tiny, only 2 ft, but the morning wind is light and from the SW, directly onshore. Even with that long period, the energy is still moderate (589), but the onshore wind and knee-high waves mean it’s not worth a paddle. This pattern of small, long-period SW swell and onshore or cross-onshore wind just keeps repeating through the weekend and into the next week.

The energy does start to build again. By Friday the 24th, we’ve got a 4 ft SSW swell with a 16-second period, and the morning sees a light 6 mph cross-on breeze. The combined energy is getting up there at 834, but the forecast still calls it marginal. Then on Saturday the 25th morning, things get a bit more interesting with 5 ft SSW swell, 14-second period, and a light onshore wind. The energy jumps to a strong 1270. But it’s still only a marginal call, and it quickly gets blown out by the afternoon cross-on. The same story for Sunday the 26th morning – 4 ft, light onshore, strong energy at 1166, but still marginal.

Look, even the best moments here are just “marginal.” For a break that’s fairly exposed to the SW and fairly consistent, this is a tough run. The wind is just never your friend. Honestly, with that consistent cross-onshore wind and the swell size staying manageable but messy, this setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than for a traditional paddle session. Save your energy and your wax.

Rusty, signing off.

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