San Francisco.
Now
· updated 15 hours agoThe week begins with a building southwest swell at 1m, peaking Sunday at 2.2m from the west-northwest with strong southwest influence under moderate wind. Wind shifts from light to moderate early week, then strengthens to moderate-strong by Sunday peak, keeping conditions choppy. Looks like Saturday morning under glassy light wind will be the best window before the southwest swell rebuilds Sunday.
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About San Francisco
San Francisco surfing comes down to three waves at the mouth of the bay. Ocean Beach runs 5.6 km of open-coast beach break from Cliff House south to Sloat. Fort Point is a left under the Golden Gate Bridge, peeling off the Presidio rocks when the swell wraps through the Gate. Mavericks is half an hour south at Pillar Point, a deep-water reef that fires only on the biggest winter swells. Kelly Slater won his eleventh world title at Ocean Beach in 2011, the only mainland US final on the modern tour.
This is a winter coast. The North Pacific storm track delivers west to northwest swell from November through March. Ocean Beach needs 12 s to work, Mavericks 14 s. Heights run 0.8 to 4 m on the buoy at the beachies, 5 m+ when Mavs is on. The classic offshore is east; the afternoon westerly breaks the wave apart. Summer drops to small wind swell, and the fog rolls in for weeks.
Water sits at 13 °C every month of the year. A 4/3 with hood and booties from October through June. Crowds spread across kilometres, but the rip at the inlet throat exceeds 2.5 m/s and will pull you out before you notice. The 1998 winter killed seven people in the water. White sharks pass through. Mavericks is expert only in practice. Pick the spot for the day: Fort Point on the wraps, Ocean Beach on the angle, Mavs only when you’ve earned it.