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Mavericks (Half Moon Bay) Surf Forecast

Northern California, CA · The world-famous big-wave reef - only breaks when it's huge.

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Mavericks (Half Moon Bay) Spot Guide

Best swell

WSW
window SSW–NW (200°–310°)

Ideal size

8–30 ft
breaking-wave face height

Best wind

ENE
offshore · WSW is onshore

Verified against

Buoy 46012
live NOAA readings · our error

The wave

BreakBig-wave reef off Pillar Point
BottomDeep reef ledge
Waves20-60 foot faces on major NW groundswell
AbilityNo. Mavericks is for a small international community of big-wave specialists with rescue support.
Best tideMid
CrowdThe world's best, plus jet-ski safety teams and a cliff of long lenses
HazardsTwo-wave hold-downs, rocks inside, cold water, sharks — it has killed elite surfers
AccessPillar Point Harbor lots in Princeton-by-the-Sea; long walk or paddle to the point

Local knowledge

Discovered and ridden alone for years by Jeff Clark, Mavericks turned out to be one of the heaviest waves on earth: a deep-water ledge half a mile off Half Moon Bay that stands the winter's largest NW swells into mountains. It's a spectator wave for everyone but the invited few — and from the bluff on a giant day, spectating is unforgettable.

Nearby spots

FAQ

What swell direction works best at Mavericks (Half Moon Bay)?

WSW swell hits Mavericks (Half Moon Bay) straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from SSW (200°) through NW (310°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.

What wind is best at Mavericks (Half Moon Bay)?

ENE wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. WSW wind is straight onshore and chops it up; light wind under ~5 kn is fine from any direction.

When is the best time of year to surf Mavericks (Half Moon Bay)?

Fall through winter (October-March), when North Pacific storms send consistent NW groundswell. Early fall usually has the best swell-to-conditions ratio; summer is the small season.

What's the best tide at Mavericks (Half Moon Bay)?

Mid. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.

Is Mavericks (Half Moon Bay) good for beginners?

No. Mavericks is for a small international community of big-wave specialists with rescue support.

How warm is the water at Mavericks (Half Moon Bay)?

Roughly 50°F at its late-winter coldest to about 58°F in late summer. In practice that means a hooded 4/3 or 5/4 in winter and a 3/2 in summer. The forecast above shows the current water temperature.

How far out is this forecast reliable?

The wave model has real skill to about 10 days, and we cut the chart there instead of padding it with guesses. Days 1-3 are solid, 4-7 useful, 8-10 a trend heads-up - and we publish our measured error against NOAA buoys, updated continuously.

Forecast from TrueSwell's own physics-based wave model (exposure → refraction → breaking, every swell train separately), built on public NOAA and Open-Meteo data and scored daily against NDBC buoy observations. How the model works →