Sonoma Coast State Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
10Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 1,215kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 1,038kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 341kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 1,877kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 2,600kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 702kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 1,340kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 219, poor
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Sonoma Coast State Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 19, poor | 3 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 313kJ | wind from the south-east, 0 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 1,215kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 1,038kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 5 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 341kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 1,877kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 2,600kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 702kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 1,340kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 1,231kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 16°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:43 +0.5 mLow 11:05 −0.1 mHigh 16:36 +0.6 mLow 23:35 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:29 +0.6 mLow 12:22 −0.3 mHigh 18:01 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:30 −0.8 mHigh 07:10 +0.7 mLow 13:24 −0.6 mHigh 19:17 +0.5 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Sonoma Coast State Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Bill's Bowls 3 km away
- Russian Rivermouth 11.6 km away
- Goat Rock 12.2 km away
- Omar shereef 19.6 km away
- Salmon Creek 23.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sonoma Coast State Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (213°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (33°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 11). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 11°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Jenner. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,200–US$2,170 each
about US$1,200–US$2,170 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to OAK, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$536 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,200–US$2,170 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 25 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Jenner its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bodega Bay on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 15 places to stay
Nearest beds: Jenner, 13 km (about 25 min by car)
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 8h 45m
About 8h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → OAK, direct, then 2h 30m by road
Flights MDW → OAK on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.