Stinson Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Stinson Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – this is a tough stretch. The water is sitting at a very unusual 62° around the start, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but the surf just isn't cooperating. The pattern is mostly poor, with messy winds and questionable conditions. We’re looking at a long gap of nearly two weeks with nothing really worth paddling out for.

The first few days, from Friday the 24th of July right through to the end of the month, are pretty grim. The swell is small, mostly around 2ft to 4ft from the SW, with a long period around 18 to 24 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. But the wind is a problem – it's a moderate cross-onshore breeze from the WNW, making it choppy and lumpy. The energy is moderate, reading between 816 and 1254, but it doesn’t matter when the surface is blown out. There’s no real standout here; it’s just marginal at best, and mostly poor surf conditions.

We get a bit of a bump on the morning of Saturday the 1st of August. The swell picks up to 7ft from the NW, but that’s a short-period windswell with only 8 seconds between waves. The wind is light, though, with just a light cross-onshore breeze, so it might be cleaner than the rest. However, at 7ft, that’s getting into the expert-only zone for a beach break, and the short period means it’ll be a bit of a mess. The energy is strong at 1377, but it’s not a quality wave. I wouldn’t call it a true standout.

After that, the surf fades away. From Sunday the 2nd of August all the way through to Saturday the 8th of August, the swell drops from 6ft down to 1ft, with the wind staying mostly cross-onshore or onshore. The energy drops off to weak levels, down to 188 by the end. It’s a complete blank run. The conditions are consistently poor, with no real surf on offer.

The only break we’ve got is Stinson Beach, a beginner-friendly spot that’s fairly exposed to the SW swell. It’s fairly consistent, but crowds are sometimes an issue. The optimum swell direction is from the SW, which matches what we see early on, but the wind just ruins it.

The best of a bad bunch is probably the morning of Saturday the 1st of August. Light wind and a bit of size, but it’s short period and messy. For the rest, you’re better off looking at something else. It’s a flat spell that looks like it’s going to last.

Rusty.

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