Usal Beach Surf Guide

Usal Beach in Mendocino County is an exposed reef break. Summer offers the best conditions for surfing. Works best in offshore winds from the east northeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the west. Even when the surf is up, crowds are unknown. Hazards include - Sharks.

Usal Beach Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef2
12.6°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Usal Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Usal Beach occur when a West swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East-northeast.

What's the best time of year to surf Usal Beach (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Usal Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 39% of the time in January while 59% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 2% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
39%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
59%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
2%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Usal Beach Location Map

Interactive Usal Beach surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The nearest passenger airport to Usal Beach is Chico Muni Airport (CIC) in USA, which is 170 km (106 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Usal Beach is Beale Afb (Marysville) Airport (BAB), also in USA, 221 km (137 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Usal Beach Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 22:07 Local Time
WedThu
8PM11PM2AM5AM
Wave (m)
1.1
WNW
1.2
WNW
1.2
WNW
1.2
WNW
Period (s) 12 12 12 12
Wind (km/h)
10
5
5
0
Wind State cross-
on
glass glass glass

Swell History at Usal Beach

Surf stats for Usal Beach, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Usal Beach

Wind stats for Usal Beach, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest