Located in Humboldt County, California, Mad River Beach is a long stretch of empty beach break that offers up some powerful waves, best on small swells it becomes unmanageable over 8 foot. The waves here are not easy to surf and break for up to 50 meters over a sand bottom. Sharks, rips, and remoteness are the issues here.
What are the best surf conditions for Mad River Beach?
Gets good between waist-high and overhead. We recommend riding a longboard if smaller and a shortboard as the size picks up. This break is suitable for intermediate and advanced-level surfers. The surf here is not the most consistent (4/10) and will be empty (1/10). The best winds are from the East. The best swells are small and from the Northwest and West. Works on a mid to high tide.
We recommend wearing a 5/4 here year-round. Water temperatures range between 11 and 12 degrees year-round. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
