Reef
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Level 6/10

Mavericks

Half Moon Bay, USA (CA)
⚠️Shallow🪨Rocks🪸Sharp reef

Mavericks is Northern California's big wave proving ground—a cold, shark-infested, boulder-strewn reef off Half Moon Bay that produces some of North America's most dangerous surf. The wave breaks over a submerged rock field, creating an unpredictable playing surface that has claimed lives. When winter storms send massive NW swells down the coast, Mavericks holds waves in the 40-60 foot range. The competition here has become one of big wave surfing's most prestigious events. Paddle-in purists still consider it the ultimate test.

3-Day Forecast
Today
30
7
Poor
1.0m
@15s
11km/h
Tue
31
7
Poor
0.7m
@16s
12km/h
Wed
1
0
Poor
0.6m
@16s
18km/h
+7
Unlock

Today's Conditions

Swell
1.0m
NW(306°)
Score: 0/25
Period
15s
Long period groundswell
Score: 4/25
Wind
11km/h
NNW(330°)
Score: 9/25
Weather
15°C
0.0mm100%
Windswell Component
0.1mWSW@1s
Secondary Swell
0.4mWNW
Forecast Confidence
100%
Sources: open-meteo-marine, open-meteo-weather
Best Session
morning
AM: 11 km/h NNW|PM: 14 km/h WNW
Lighter winds early (11 km/h)
Mid tide at 9am (0.7m)

Location & Conditions

Loading map...
0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
View in OpenStreetMap
Showing forecast for today

Tide Times

3:40 am
Low tide - -0.50m
9:34 am
High tide - 0.69m
4:01 pm
Low tide - -0.88m
10:20 pm
High tide - 0.68m
Times shown in spot-local time.

📊 Buoy ValidationBuoy Data

Santa Maria

327 km away

Source: noaa

Forecast Validation
Buoy observed: 0.0m
Forecast error: ±1.0m

Strike Score Breakdown

7
Poor
Components
Swell Direction15/25
Swell Size0/25
Swell Period4/25
Wind9/25
Raw Score28/100
Adjustments
⚠️ Weak Component-10
📉 Undersized Swell-11
🚫 Undersized Capmax 15
Adjusted Score7/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score7

Spot Details

Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
WNW (290°)
Direction range
270° - 315°
Size range
7.6m - 18.3m
Ideal size
15.0m
Height multiplier
1.08×
Ideal period
18s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
E (90°)
Offshore range
45° - 135°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
low to mid

Difficulty

6/10

Crowd level

3/10

Access: Paddle/jet ski

Getting There

Airport
SFO
Drive time
45 min
Data quality
community

Strike Log

Community Discussion