Linda Mar (Pacifica)
Pacifica · near Pacifica · SF Bay Area
Surfing
At a glance
- Skill level
- beginner
- Best season
- Year-round · Summer and fall are friendliest for beginners
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Surfing detail
- Nickname
- SF's Beginner Beach
- Break types
- beach
- Swell
- NW and W · 2–6ft · Wide cove keeps most swells under 5ft — manageable
- Tide
- Works across tides · Mid tide best
- Wind
- Foggy and often light in the morning · Afternoon wind common
- Crowd
- The Bay Area's main learn-to-surf beach — busy with beginners and schools, but the cove is wide. Friendly vibe.
- Board
- Longboard or soft-top · Classic beginner setup
- Wetsuit
- 4/3mm minimum year-round, 5/4mm in winter with boots · Water 50–58°F — genuinely cold
- Intl tip
- Pacifica is the closest real surf to San Francisco. Linda Mar for beginners; Rockaway Beach and Montara (both in this guide) just north for more experienced surfers. The Devil's Slide coastal trail between Pacifica and Montara is a spectacular walk or bike.
The guide
Linda Mar — officially Pacifica State Beach — is where the Bay Area learns to surf. Tucked into a wide cove about 20 minutes so…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Linda Mar (Pacifica) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.592, -122.505