How to Predict the Surf at Bolinas?

When in doubt, go to 4rt P0int.

just assume it's really bad, and sometimes you'll be wrong and happy.

A cam in Bolinas? Gasp. There aren't even signs for the town. My advice is to rely on the buoys, wind and tide charts. Forget the surf sites. Few of the things that make Bo a fun challenge to predict... south facing beach, Duxbury Reef, and the lagoon.

Even though its considered a beginners break... there's no short cut to learning about the conditions there.

Happy shark week.

Expect bolo to be 1/2 as big as you hope it will, with less oomph. when you really have it really figured out, remember that 50 other people do too, and will get there before you.

1. Surf it a lot.
2. Note the buoy, tide, and wind data for your sessions.
3. Based on #1 and #2, figure out for yourself when it gets good.

I'm reiterating sh0wn's comment, but less tactfully...

I got a new one: use the windalert Iphone app. Look at the Bolinas-Stinson beach sensor to see what the wind is doing. Right now it's blowing from the NW 11 kts gusts to 16. B/c it's NW it could be offshore...
I don't know I don't usually surf there... too far and sharky.

douglas,

if you want to learn how a break works, show up at it whenever there is a groundswell in the water. do this a couple hundred times.

there are no reliable short-cuts. pay your dues.

Keep your hiking boots in the car. If there is no surf, your day will not be wasted. If nothing else this will keep you motivated to try another flat day.

Best advice for the Bo', don't go @dg. Seems that you're closer to other places due west aren't you?

Having surfed the Bo' for decades, and in the past just relying on the tide charts before the electronic gadget age and surf reports, we took our chances, if there was surf, we surfed, if none, we went to Stinson, or back north to the Sonoma Coast areas that shall be left unnamed. However, the best reports are from the afore mentioned 2 Mile, and also www.pacificwaverider.com. 2 Mile gives honest reports and updates them throughout the day, occasionally.

As for being "sharky," @Zurffy, have never seen one there, nor has there ever been an attack there. But just south at Stinson, at least 2 in the past 10 years.

I'm there at least once a week, but will not report its condition(s) until the evening of my session, for obvious reasons, and mainly because I don't text, use a cell phone/computer posting, and more importantly, will never report a session if it's good before I surf. As those of you saw last November during that big swell it was a zoo for several days with no place to park, and the only way to get in the water was paddle in from the ramp or channel.

And like dakota says, "there are no reliable short-cuts. pay your dues." Unless that is you know somebody who lives there, I do ;- )

Would still like to see some of you come up to the Bo for a session in the late A.M. early P.M. if you can.

For mine own part, I found that going to 'tha Bo was an all day affair anyway, so timing it wasn't paramount.
Grab a sixer, roll a dooby or two, and relax there all day during the summer.
Or...wait till winter and realize that when OB's cranking hella hard, 'tha Bo won't bring the pain as bad.

What piss_shiver said = +1! And that's just what I do.