StokeReport User Surf Reports

Mavericks washes out for Tuesday

beachbum — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:38:45 -0800

The famed Mavericks Surf Contest remained in a holding pattern Sunday after organizers determined that the proper surf conditions would not materialize on Tuesday after all.

Organizers still hold out slim hopes that conditions could improve enough to hold the contest on Wednesday or Thursday at the Mavericks surfing spot north of Half Moon Bay.

The giant Hawaiian waves of 1969: will the coming swell be even bigger?

beachbum — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:37:34 -0800

It was exactly 40 years ago, that a massive winter swell hit the north and west shores of the islands. Many surfers consider it to be the biggest swell in recorded history to ever hit Oahu's north shore.

The four-day swell peaked at midnight on December 2, 1969. State senator Fred Hemmings, who surfed with Eddie Aikau, remembers:

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:35:50 -0800

Shoulder high waves a plenty. Shooting mediocre-waves in a barrel. Plenty of rides for everyone.

(Submitted via the Mobile Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:12:48 -0800

Some fun, fairly clean shoulder to head high waves to be snagged. A little funky and sluggish for the most part, but an occasional fun one.

(Submitted via the Web)

Aqua Surf Shop Presents Loose Connections II

beachbum — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:57:49 -0800

San Francisco, CA—Aqua Surf Shop is pleased to announce the opening of Loose Connections II, a special exhibition featuring the work of eleven photographers united by their art, their friends, and the ocean. The show begins on Friday, December 4th at Pkirkeby Fine Art & Framing in Potrero Hill.

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:59:39 -0800

Some nice waves moving through from time to time. An occasional 1.5x over barreling macker.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:26:35 -0800

Note quite victory-at-sea at Ocean beach, but rapidly heading there. Happy T-Day

(Submitted via the Mobile Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:18:47 -0800

A beautiful morning. Some great sets coming through but it was very intermittent. Our friend on the long board was killing it as usual.

(Submitted via the Web)

good surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:31:17 -0800

Beautiful morning. Fun waves to be had.

(Submitted via the Mobile Web)

Snowey Plover [pics]

beachbum — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:11:15 -0800

I took some pictures of our little friends, the snowy plovers, when the surf was lame at Ocean Beach a few days ago. It cracks me up to see their little legs blurring as the whiz up and down the sand dodging the shorebreak.

A Couple of Pics from this Morning

beachbum — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:43:53 -0800

Here are a couple of pictures that I took well before sunrise, on this amazing November morning, waiting for @carlbettag to arrive. I'm always impressed when someone has clearly paddled out in the dark :)

good surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:25:54 -0800

Good+ conditions at Ocean Beach. Beautiful overhead barrels to be had for the brave and lucky. An amazing morning with offshores, beautiful surf a huge moon and frolicking dolphins.

(Submitted via the Mobile Web)

good surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:36:05 -0800

Paddled out in the middle of the beach at around 2pm. There were some very nice, powerful, clean 1.5x overhead sets coming through and some barrels that you could fit my VW bus into. Didn't see any takers on those. A very occasional standout set would wash half of us back in. A fairly difficult paddle out and lots of work battling the currents. Much better than the sunrise session. Fun!

(Submitted via the Mobile Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:12 -0800

Conditions alternating between clean and jumbled at the north end. Maybe a dozen guys out but not too many rides being enjoyed. A gorgeous morning though. Wish my camera hadn't run out of battery.

(Submitted via the Mobile Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:17:20 -0700

Some fun overhead waves to be had in the middle of the beach. Not spectacular but worth the paddle.

(Submitted via the Web)

good surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:01:07 -0700

Really fun conditions with the size and consistency really cranking up since sunrise. I'd call it 2.5x over on the biggest sets.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:44:11 -0700

Fun, fast head high+ waves. The strong current pulling north made it difficult to hold position.

(Submitted via the Web)

Awesome Historical Photographs of Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:13:19 -0700

Take a look at this collection of Historical Photographs of Ocean beach compiled by the Cliff House Project.

Looking the Other Way

beachbum — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:56:15 -0700

Tangential surfing thoughts from Matt Warshaw, a lifelong surfer and chronicler of the sport on the NYTimes.

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:13:59 -0700

Fun head high + conditions at Ocean beach. Definitely intermittent and sectiony, but some nice fast waves to be had.

(Submitted via the Web)

good surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:48:19 -0700

Choi-wan is still delivering some 1.5x overhead waves at Ocean Beach. It's a little jumbled but still plenty o' fun. Good-

It was a bit too foggy to take pictures, but I took a handful to give you an idea of conditions.

(Submitted via the Web)

Ocean Beach Choi-wan Swell Saturday September 26th

beachbum — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:18:18 -0700

Some fun waves around midday at the middle of Ocean Beach

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:29:02 -0700

Fast, hollow, breaking close to shore and a couple of feet overhead on the N end. The south end was bigger and a tougher paddle. Here are a couple of pics from in front of the beach chalet.

(Submitted via the Web)

good surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:47:53 -0700

Some serious sets rolling in a little after sunrise this AM. I didn't manage to photograph anyone on them, but here are some of the smaller sets.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:10:23 -0700

I didn't manage to get any decent surfing pictures due to the rain and the fog. Here's one that perhaps captures some of the mood of this morning. Overall I'd call the surf fair-, that's if you like your surf meaty and a bit chewy.

(Submitted via the Web)

Ocean Beach, 9am, Monday September 7th, 2009

beachbum — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:27:32 -0700

Some fun 1.5x to 2x action this morning at Ocean Beach. A bit on the raw and sectiony side, but still a lot of fun. A taste of fall.

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:20:57 -0700

Some fun head high waves to be had. Kinda junky but still fun.

(Submitted via the Web)

Photography by Stuart Gibson

beachbum — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:54:55 -0700

Check out Stuart Gibson's awesome photography on his blog or take a look at this portfolio on surfline.com. Make sure you look at the terrifying wall of water in #24.

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:01:26 -0700

Very mellow, but clean and glassy waist to shoulder high waves this morning. It was an amazing morning at the beach with warm water, sunshine filtering through a light fog. Seals and dolphins everywhere. No magic ponies prancing over rainbows sadly.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:42:25 -0700

The mid-day surf was fair-. Not nearly as good as early this morning. There were still were plenty of shoulder high waves to be had, but not as hollow and glassy as earlier.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:40:52 -0700

A fun sunny morning at Ocean Beach. The surf was mellow and playful. Weaker than yesterday but still producing very occasional head-high sets.

(Submitted via the Web)

Great Cover Up on from the NZ Swell at Ocean Beach on Tuesday (Aug 4th)

beachbum — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:32:40 -0700

This may not be the ride of the swell, but I challenge you to produce photographic evidence to the contrary :) Kudos to the unknown OB rider.

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:39:29 -0700

Fun conditions. Some slightly overhead sets. Not nearly as clean as yesterday morning but a bit more power.

(Submitted via the Web)

good surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:51:19 -0700

Some very fun waves moving through from the New Zealand swell. The better spots on the beach are producing occasional slightly overhead waves with nice hollow sections. I got a couple of cover ups and saw others get plenty more. Good -

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 09:04:14 -0700

Conditions are smaller and more intermittent than yesterday, but I had a great session with regular zippy head high to slightly overhead rides. No current to speak of. Light crowds. STOKED.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:51:09 -0700

Some fun rides to be had at Ocean Beach this morning. Conditions changed drastically over the 90 minutes I was out and varied from poor to fair. Plenty of snappy rights and lefts for those in the right spot. The SW swell is generating a strong northward current and combined with the strongly incoming tide, I'm guessing it is currently an express escalator to seal rock.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:06:52 -0700

The swell is definitely showing at Ocean beach producing overhead, if junky surf. Lots of energy in the water and lots of fun to be had.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Mateo - Montara

beachbum — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:15:12 -0700

I drove up the coast from Santa Cruz around noon today. Mostly the surf wasn't very good but Montara looked like a lot of fun. Sadly I couldn't get in the water but I snapped a picture for your viewing pleasure.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:48:59 -0700

Lots of really fun waist to shoulder high waves. Getting close to head high on the standout sets. Everyone got their fill of fun short rides.

(Submitted via the Web)

poor surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:16:25 -0700

Pretty sloppy windswell conditions. A few folks out making the best of the crumbly waist to chest high conditions. Didn't look like a huge amount of fun but if you were desperate there were plenty of waves for the taking

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:41:34 -0700

Fun waist to shoulder high conditions up and down the beach. A bit soft but no complaints from me. The crowds are out and the whining is back.

(Submitted via the Web)

poor surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:14:11 -0700

A bit small and lack-luster but fairly clean. Bigger sets looked to be chest high but soft. Not for me. There were a hundred pelicans dive-bombing the ocean.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:39:19 -0700

Kinda crappy conditions, but I had a lot of fun. The swell is fairly raw, but if you are patient, there are some fun rides to be had every 10 minutes or so.

(Submitted via the Web)

poor surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:24:53 -0700

Some decent head high waves breaking on the outside but a really difficult paddle to get out to them due to the low frequency windswell. The fisher folks seemed to be having more luck.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:52:46 -0700

Fun, clean, chest to shoulder high waves on the inside bars. Water is so warm you'd be comfortable in a shorty. Overall, a great day for a mellow surf.

(Submitted via the Web)

Fun waves to be had today between Santa Cruz and San Francisco (pics)

beachbum — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:09:59 -0700

For those willing to venture south, there were some fun waves from the current SW swell.

June 6th: San Francisco to Santa Cruz

beachbum — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:55:24 -0700

I took a few pictures on my drive from Ocean Beach in San Francisco to Santa Cruz. The pictures are from north to south. I'll let you figure out where they are :)

poor surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:45:55 -0700

Nothing too much going on. Quite a few surf-starved guys trying to make the best of the small amount SW energy that's hitting Ocean Beach. I saw one mushy ride in about 5 minutes of watching.

(Submitted via the Web)

poor surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Mon, 25 May 2009 09:01:49 -0700

Junky head-high slop. I got in anyway and caught a couple of short rides. I saw another couple of guys out. It really wasn't worth it :(

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

beachbum — Sun, 17 May 2009 08:18:56 -0700

Very intermittent, but an occasional fun shoulder high set. I'm calling it "fair" since the weather is so nice.

(Submitted via the Web)