Santa Cruz County, California
Hold off if you can — morning starts out very poor with 1-2ft waves.
Hold off if you can — morning starts out very poor with 1-2ft waves.
Conditions stay similar this week — check the hourly forecast at Mavericks for the cleanest windows.
Here's how the next 5 days are shaping up at Mavericks, Santa Cruz County, California. Each day is rated based on breaking wave height, swell period, and wind — updated hourly from the latest NOAA GFS run.
Sun, Sep 6: 1–2ft, 15s period, rated Very Poor. Hold off if you can — morning starts out very poor with 1-2ft waves. Later in the day looks more promising — 1-2ft and very poor.
Mon, Sep 7: 1–2ft, 14s period, rated Poor. Midday is the call — 1-2ft waves with gentle NNE breeze and poor conditions. Morning is a bit bumpy but things clean up by late morning.
Tue, Sep 8: 1–2ft, 13s period, rated Poor. Early morning is your best window — 1-2ft waves on SSW swell at 13s with glassy conditions. Wind fills in through the day, pushing up to 8mph from the WSW and dropping conditions to very poor.
Wed, Sep 9: 0–1ft, 11s period, rated Very Poor. A slow one — 0-1ft waves and very poor conditions with light winds out of the N. Expect the wind to bump up to around 10mph by PM.
Thu, Sep 10: 1–2ft, 12s period, rated Poor. Midday is the call — 1-2ft waves with barely a breath of wind and poor conditions. Early on is a little rough — give it until mid-morning to shape up.
Two days at a glance. Swipe for later hours.Five days at a glance. Drag for later hours.
Poor today — get one free email when Mavericks turns Good.
Check Mavericks from the lineup
Forecasts, surf alerts, and live conditions in the Swell Intel iPhone app.
Mavericks is one of the most dangerous big-wave spots on the planet, a right-hand reef off Pillar Point that only turns on for serious W to NW swells with long periods (17+ seconds). The wave throws over a jagged reef into extreme cold water shared by white sharks, and a successful session typically requires a jet-ski, a safety crew, and years of big-wave experience. Strictly for verified big-wave surfers.
Wave heights shown are breaking wave heights — the actual rideable wave size at this spot.
The current wave height at Mavericks is 1-2ft with a 15.5s swell period. Wind is NNW at 9mph. Conditions are rated Poor. The forecast updates hourly so you can plan your session around the cleanest windows.
The current breaking wave height at Mavericks is 1-2ft, produced by a 3.6ft SSW primary swell at 16s, a 2.6ft WNW secondary swell at 9s, a 2.1ft WNW wind swell swell at 4s, a 2ft SSW tertiary swell at 11s, a 0.9ft W tertiary swell at 13s. Breaking wave height is the actual rideable wave size at the shore — calculated from offshore swell data using this spot's coastal bathymetry — not the raw buoy reading.
Based on the current 5-day forecast, the best window to surf Mavericks is Thursday from 12 PM to 3 PM with 2ft waves, a 12s swell period, and conditions rated Poor. Check the hourly forecast for updates as conditions can shift.
Mavericks works best with a WNW swell and E winds. Offshore winds groom the face of the wave, while onshore winds turn it sloppy. Cross-offshore conditions usually produce the cleanest shape.
Tide plays a big role at Mavericks. Mid tide works for most beach breaks, while reef and point breaks often prefer higher or lower stages. Use the tide chart above to line up your session with the swell peak.
Mavericks is a reef with a reef bottom, suited to expert surfers. Mavericks is one of the most dangerous big-wave spots on the planet, a right-hand reef off Pillar Point that only turns on for serious W to NW swells with long periods (17+ seconds). The wave throws over a jagged reef into extreme cold water shared by white sharks, and a successful session typically requires a jet-ski, a safety crew, and years of big-wave experience. Strictly for verified big-wave surfers.
The prime season at Mavericks is winter, when swell direction, wind patterns, and water temps line up most consistently. Outside the peak season you can still score, but you'll need to watch the forecast closely for the right windows.
Common hazards at Mavericks include huge surf, shallow reef, cold water, strong currents, sharks, jet-ski traffic. Always check conditions before paddling out, respect local etiquette, and never surf alone if you're unfamiliar with the break.
Our Mavericks forecast uses NOAA GFS and other weather models combined with spot-specific bathymetry to calculate breaking wave heights. Short-range (1-3 day) forecasts are most reliable; extended forecasts show general trends. We also verify our offshore swell predictions against NOAA buoy measurements daily — see our accuracy page for those swell-verification metrics (buoys measure open-water swell, not breaking surf size).
