Found in the San Luis Obispo area in Central California, Shell Beach is an excellent reef break with two distinct peaks, providing fun sections for turns or cruising. These waves can be a little difficult to surf, and break for up to 50 meters over a boulder-filled bottom.
What are the best surf conditions for Shell Beach?
The peaks start getting good between waist high and triple overhead. We recommend a shortboard for this spot. Shell beach is best suited for intermediate and advanced surfers. It is a semi-consistent spot (6/10) but needs a large swell for it to show. It will be crowded when it’s good, empty if otherwise (6/10). Offshore winds come from the Northeast, the best tides are low to mid, and the best swell is anything big with a little West in it.
A 4/3 is the necessary attire for summer as water temperatures only rise to 15 degrees in August. In winter, depending on personal cold tolerance, you could upgrade to a 5/4 as water temps plunge to 12 degrees. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
