Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, CA

MapBeginner-friendlyLive · -

5h 24m of daylight left

Sunset at 2:39 AM

SKIPSkip

2.6/ 10 · Poor

Best time to ride

9 PM–10 PM

Next 12 hours

Probably not worth the paddle.

Tide window opening

Conditions

Wave

2.5 ft→

Sweet spot 15–50 ft

Period

13s→

Sweet spot 16–22 s

Wind

9 mph SW→

Side-on

Tide

Next · Low 04:52 AM

Session plan

Skip

Probably not worth the paddle.

Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, CA · Beginner-friendly

SKIP

Peak window

9 PM–10 PM

Avg score 2.6/10

Why this score

Tide will shift conditions soon.

Wave height2.5 ft

Swell period13s

WindSide-on 9 mph

Current: 2.5 ft @ 13s • 9 mph wind. wave height is okay but not doing the heavy lifting short period is making things weaker and choppier light wind is keeping things clean wind direction is fighting the banks and shape

Next 12 hours

Peak window 9 PM–10 PM

Today's read·Auto-generated from the forecast

Quiet day — 2.5 ft and not much to work with. Tide shift to low around 4:52 AM could change the picture.

9 PM

2.62.5ft

10 PM

2.62.5ft

11 PM

2.62.5ft

12 AM

1.02.5ft

1 AM

2.02.4ft

2 AM

2.02.4ft

3 AM

2.02.4ft

4 AM

3.52.4ft

5 AM

3.52.3ft

6 AM

4.02.3ft

7 AM

3.32.3ft

8 AM

3.32.3ft

Sunrise 1:40 PM Sunset 2:39 AM

Next 5 days

Best window

Best this week

5.4/10

Saturday, Sep 5 • 10 AM–11 AM

Wave 3.8 ft

Period 16s

Wind max 12 mph

Temp 55–69°F

Tuesday, Sep 1

3.2 / 10

Best: 11 AM–12 PM

Wave: 2.7 ft

Period: 13s

Wind max: 10 mph

Wednesday, Sep 2

3.9 / 10

Best: 10 AM–11 AM

Wave: 2.4 ft

Period: 13s

Wind max: 11 mph

Thursday, Sep 3

3.3 / 10

Best: 10 AM–11 AM

Wave: 3.1 ft

Period: 12s

Wind max: 14 mph

Friday, Sep 4

3.5 / 10

Best: 10 AM–11 AM

Wave: 4.1 ft

Period: 11s

Wind max: 11 mph

Saturday, Sep 5

5.4 / 10

Best: 10 AM–11 AM

Wave: 3.8 ft

Period: 16s

Wind max: 12 mph

Day	Best window	Score	Wave	Period	Wind max	Temp
Tuesday, Sep 1	11 AM–12 PM	3.2	2.7 ft	13s	10 mph	57–65°F
Wednesday, Sep 2	10 AM–11 AM	3.9	2.4 ft	13s	11 mph	57–65°F
Thursday, Sep 3	10 AM–11 AM	3.3	3.1 ft	12s	14 mph	59–64°F
Friday, Sep 4	10 AM–11 AM	3.5	4.1 ft	11s	11 mph	56–73°F
Saturday, Sep 5	10 AM–11 AM	5.4	3.8 ft	16s	12 mph	55–69°F

Spot intelWetsuit, hazards & notes

Good for beginners today

Beginner basics

Where to go

There is no beginner area at Mavericks. This is a big-wave reef ridden only by invited pros on giant winter swells; it's tow-in territory above 30 feet. Watch from the cliffs at Pillar Point.

What to avoid

The lineup, the rocks, the entire reef. People die here. Even paddling out as a beginner risks your life and the lives of rescuers. Cold water, sharks documented, and sets clean up everything outside.

Best beginner conditions

Mavericks is never beginner-friendly. Try Pacifica's Linda Mar (just south) for a true California first session.

New to surfing? Read the beginner guide →

Wetsuit

Summer setup

Season-based baseline. Water temp varies week to week.

Full guide

Boardshorts / Bikini

Or 2mm top on windy mornings

2mm Springsuit / Shorty

If you get cold easily

Spot notes