Located in Marin County in Northern California, Stinson Beach is a pretty good beach break that rolls over a sand bottom. The waves here are pretty eay to surf and break for up to 50 meters providing sections for turns and manoeuvres. This is a very popular family beach/vacation town in the summer, but the waves themselves won’t ever be too crowded.
What are the best surf conditions for Stinson Beach?
This break gets good between waist high and overhead, it will close out if bigger. A longboard will work fine here until it gets bigger than chest high, then a shortboard is best. Stinson is good for all levels of surfers. The surf here is pretty consistent (6/10) and the waves will never be too crowded (3/10). The best winds come from the Southeast and higher tides work best. The best swells are actually windswells from the West or Northwest, but swells from the South and Southwest will work as well.
We recommend wearing a 4/3 during the summer here when the water temperature rises to 14 degrees. The winter brings water temperatures of 11 degrees, so we recommend wearing a 5/4. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.