About Marin County Surf Travel
Only slightly more rugged than the southern badlands of San Francisco and San Mateo counties, Northern California’s infancy begins smack-dab in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge. Most of this region sees its fair share of Bay Area vacationers, many of whom own dwellings in the quaint, isolated coastal villages. Even so, West Marin is drastically distanced from its inland counterparts of Novato, Sausalito or San Rafael: instead of affluent yuppies, giant homes and strip malls, it’s huge swaths of green, rolling hills dotted with barns, cattle, sheep and horses.
Marin is the smallest of NorCal counties, and it’s not exactly known for its surf. Furthermore, if you can’t stand riding waves in one of the sharkiest places on earth (it may as well be the eye of the Red Triangle), the area is hardly worth visiting. Distances are far between surf spots, and you’ll surely encounter some sluggish tourist traffic, especially on weekends.
Marin County Surf Crowds:
Population is not a dominating factor in this area since there’s so much coast, but the key spots do become crowded when they’re on. The choice breaks are few and far between, so guys tend to congregate when the conditions are in alignment. Be nice to everyone and wait your turn, especially since most spots have a small take-off zone. Localism rears its head at many spots, so don’t bring a crowd or colorful wetsuit.
Marin County Surf Hazards:
As they lie within the boundary of the official Red Triangle (Santa Cruz to the Farallon Islands to Bodega Bay), Marin and Sonoma counties are shark central. This coast has lots of rocks, seaweed and places for seals and sea lions to hang around, so the sharks know where to go. Unfortunately, the best surf is where most of the sea life exists, so every session can be seen as a roll of the dice.
Best Surf Seasons in Marin County:
1) Fall
The best time for scoring clean surf and sunny skies. Early on in the season, chances are that the small surf of summer will be lingering. Fall can also see some gnarly winter-like storms, with 20-foot waves and heavy rainfall. The prevailing winds are usually the lightest this time of year, so if you’re going to visit lower Northern California at all, come during the months of September through November.
2) Winter
Heavy-duty weather and waves, frequently reaching 25 feet and bigger, accompanied with 50-knot south winds and horizontal rain. If you want to see some crazy conditions, go ahead and visit this area in the winter. If you’re looking to practice tailslides on your new shortboard, wait for summer or fall.
3) Summer
Summer, as with the rest of Northern California, sucks for surfing. Too foggy, too junky, too small and too damn packed with pasty tourists. The water’s colder, too, thanks to the upwelling that follows the merciless springtime winds. As a rule, the more exposed beachbreaks are the call from June through August.
4) Spring
Another crummy time for this area. Endless spells of stiff, cold north wind and big, junky surf. Frigid water from upwelling. Gorgeous scenery and millions of blooming wildflowers, poor surf. Great hiking, however, and a nice time to visit if you’re into the tourist thing. Bottom line is, bring the girlfriend or boyfriend if you’re coming during the spring because you won’t do much surfing.