Stinson Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what Stinson Beach has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a slow patch for the most part, but there are a few little windows where it might just come together.

The whole forecast period is a bit of a mixed bag, with plenty of days where the onshore wind messes things up. For the first week or so, we’ve got small swell and a lot of cross-onshore or cross breeze, which is gonna leave the surface pretty lumpy and choppy. You'll be looking at knee-to-waist high waves at best most days, with the energy sitting in the moderate range (combined energy values mostly between 300 and 500). There are a couple of mornings that go glassy, and that’s where the hope is.

The standout window, without a doubt, is the morning of Tuesday, August 18th. We’ve got a glassy morning with the wind going completely light and variable – that’s a big positive. The swell will be a clean 4ft from the WNW, with a short period of 8 seconds. That’s not gonna be a groundswell, but in those glassy conditions, it’ll be rideable and clean. The combined energy is moderate at 379. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing strange there – just your usual NorCal cool. This is the best clean surf on offer, and at Stinson, that’s a treat.

Now, we do see a bump in size around Wednesday the 19th through the following weekend, with swell heights pushing up to 6ft to 7ft. That’s in the fun-to-slightly-challenging range for intermediates, but the problem is the wind. Almost every one of those days is blowing cross-onshore at 15 to 25 mph, making it choppy and messy. The Thursday the 28th and Friday the 29th see a return of some SSW swell with longer periods (15 seconds) and moderate energy (850 to 943), but again, the wind is fresh and cross, so it’s more of a blown-out lump than clean surf. The early morning of Saturday the 29th might be the pick of that later run, with light winds and 3ft from the south, but it’s still cross-on.

Honestly, for the second week, there’s not much to get excited about unless you’re desperate. The swell is there, but the wind is a constant enemy. If you’re a beginner, the Tuesday glass-off is your safest bet. If you’re an expert, you might find a few shoulders on the bigger days, but you’ll be battling the chop.

Crowds at Stinson are sometimes an issue, so on that clean Tuesday morning, expect company. It’s a fairly exposed beach to the SW, which is what most of the swell is coming from, but it never really aligns perfectly with the optimum direction here.

Bottom line: keep your expectations low. The Tuesday 18th morning is the one to pencil in. The rest is mostly a write-off unless you like surfing with a side of wind.

Rusty

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