Best Time to Surf the United States
The best time to surf the United States is November to February: that is when the most breaks are at their best — 24 of the 26 United States breaks we map at the peak.
Last updated · Counted from the surf breaks we map — each break's own season, level and wave type
Surf in United States month by month
How many of the 26 breaks we map in United States are at their best in each month, and which ones. The busiest months are highlighted.
January
24 at their best · 26 in season
Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, Honolua Bay, Lower Trestles, Rincon, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Pe'ahi +16 more
February
24 at their best · 26 in season
Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, Honolua Bay, Lower Trestles, Rincon, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Pe'ahi +16 more
March
17 at their best · 19 in season
Lower Trestles, Rincon, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Sebastian Inlet, Ocean Beach, Blacks Beach, Swamis +9 more
April
17 at their best · 19 in season
Lower Trestles, Rincon, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Sebastian Inlet, Ocean Beach, Blacks Beach, Swamis +9 more
May
1 at their best · 2 in season
June
1 at their best · 2 in season
July
1 at their best · 2 in season
August
2 at their best · 3 in season
September
18 at their best · 19 in season
Waikiki, Lower Trestles, Rincon, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Sebastian Inlet, Ocean Beach, Blacks Beach +10 more
October
17 at their best · 19 in season
Lower Trestles, Rincon, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Sebastian Inlet, Ocean Beach, Blacks Beach, Swamis +9 more
November
24 at their best · 26 in season
Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, Honolua Bay, Lower Trestles, Rincon, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Pe'ahi +16 more
December
24 at their best · 26 in season
Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, Honolua Bay, Lower Trestles, Rincon, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Pe'ahi +16 more
Lefts, rights and peaks in United States
Every break we map here, by what the wave breaks over and which way it peels — a left peels to the surfer's left as they ride towards the beach.
| Break type | Lefts | Rights | Both ways / A-frames |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point | Cotton's Point | Honolua Bay, Malibu, Rincon, Swamis, Ventura Point, Hanalei Bay | Makaha, Ditch Plains |
| Reef | Ala Moana Bowls | Sunset Beach, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Pe'ahi | Banzai Pipeline, Waikiki, Lower Trestles, Windansea |
| Beach | — | — | Huntington Beach, Sebastian Inlet, Ocean Beach, Blacks Beach, Salt Creek, Cocoa Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Cape Hatteras, Manasquan Inlet |
Season at every United States break
Each break's stated season, with its best months filled in.
- Cape Hatteras
Buxton
- Wave
- Beach break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; sandbar-dependent
- Watch out
- Powerful rip and lateral currents, rapidly shifting sandbars, heavy shorebreak, hurricane and nor'easter conditions, submerged remnants of old groins/jetties, sharks, changing water temperatures and potentially difficult paddle-outs. NPS warns that ocean conditions and rip-current risk can change rapidly. Beach and ORV access can also change due to storms, erosion and wildlife closures.
- Salt Creek
Dana Point
- Wave
- Beach break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; sandbar-dependent
- Watch out
- Rip currents form between the sandbars — always check conditions before paddling out.
- Swamis
Encinitas
- Wave
- Point break · Right-hand
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; best on a pushing tide
- Watch out
- Rocks and strong currents run around the point, so plan your entry and exit carefully.
- Hanalei Bay
Hanalei
- Wave
- Point break · Right-hand
- Level
- Intermediate to Advanced
- Season
- November to February (winter swells)
- Tide
- All tides; best on a pushing tide
- Watch out
- Rocks and strong currents run around the point, so plan your entry and exit carefully.
- Banzai Pipeline
Hawaii
- Wave
- Reef break · Left and right
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- November to February (winter swells)
- Tide
- Best on a mid-to-high tide
- Watch out
- Breaks over shallow coral or rock reef — booties are recommended and mind the take-off zone.
- Honolua Bay
Hawaii
- Wave
- Point break · Right-hand
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- November to February (winter swells)
- Tide
- All tides; best on a pushing tide
- Watch out
- Rocks and strong currents run around the point, so plan your entry and exit carefully.
- Pe'ahi
Hawaii
- Wave
- Reef break · Right-hand
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- November to February (winter swells)
- Tide
- Best on a mid-to-high tide
- Watch out
- A serious big-wave arena — strictly for elite surfers; sessions are often towed and the channel currents are extremely powerful.
- Sunset Beach
Hawaii
- Wave
- Reef break · Right-hand
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- November to February (winter swells)
- Tide
- Best on a mid-to-high tide
- Watch out
- Breaks over shallow coral or rock reef — booties are recommended and mind the take-off zone.
- Waikiki
Hawaii
- Wave
- Reef break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Beginner
- Season
- Year-round, best May to September (south swells)
- Tide
- Best on a mid-to-high tide
- Watch out
- Breaks over shallow coral or rock reef — booties are recommended and mind the take-off zone.
- Ala Moana Bowls
Honolulu
- Wave
- Reef break · Left-hand
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- November to February (winter swells)
- Tide
- Best on a mid-to-high tide
- Watch out
- Extremely competitive lineup, shallow and sharp reef, sea urchins, long paddle, powerful surf on larger south swells, boat traffic near the harbor channel and possible water-quality issues following heavy rainfall. Local knowledge and respectful lineup etiquette are especially important at Bowls.
- Manasquan Inlet
Manasquan
- Wave
- Beach break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; sandbar-dependent
- Watch out
- Rock jetty, powerful rip currents, strong inlet currents, fishing lines and hooks, heavy crowds, experienced local lineup, rapidly shifting sandbars and cold winter water. Larger hurricane and nor'easter swells can produce extremely powerful surf. Parking is also difficult during summer and good swells, and a beach badge is required during guarded summer hours.
- Ditch Plains
Montauk
- Wave
- Point break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Beginner
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; best on a pushing tide
- Watch out
- Heavy crowds, rocks, submerged reef, currents on larger swells, limited parking, competitive lineups during good conditions and very cold winter water. Hurricane and nor'easter swells can transform normally approachable Ditch into significantly more powerful surf.
- Makaha
Mākaha
- Wave
- Point break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- November to February (winter swells)
- Tide
- All tides; best on a pushing tide
- Watch out
- Shallow reef, rocks, powerful currents, large cleanup sets, heavy winter surf and an experienced local lineup. The inside reef becomes particularly shallow on smaller days. On large NW swells Makaha can become a serious big-wave venue. Visitors should understand Makaha's enormous cultural importance, show humility, respect local surfers and follow proper lineup etiquette. Kooks will be told to leave the water.
- New Smyrna Beach
New Smyrna Beach
- Wave
- Beach break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; sandbar-dependent
- Watch out
- Rip currents form between the sandbars — always check conditions before paddling out.
- Cotton's Point
San Clemente, California
- Wave
- Point break · Left-hand
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; best on a pushing tide
- Watch out
- The bluff above is private land; reach it by walking the beach from the Trestles trail at San Onofre State Beach. Cobblestone bottom.
- Blacks Beach
San Diego
- Wave
- Beach break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; sandbar-dependent
- Watch out
- Rip currents form between the sandbars — always check conditions before paddling out.
- Windansea
San Diego
- Wave
- Reef break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- Best on a mid-to-high tide
- Watch out
- Shallow rock reef, powerful shorebreak, cleanup sets, slippery rocks, heavy crowds, competitive local lineup, drop-ins and difficult positioning when larger. Water quality can also deteriorate after heavy rainfall. Respect lineup etiquette—the Windansea surf community has deep roots and a long-established local culture. Kooks will not be tolerated.
- Ocean Beach
San Francisco
- Wave
- Beach break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; sandbar-dependent
- Watch out
- Rip currents form between the sandbars — always check conditions before paddling out.
- Cocoa Beach
- Wave
- Beach break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Beginner
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; sandbar-dependent
- Watch out
- Rip currents, shifting sandbars, pier pilings, occasional sharks and jellyfish, hurricane-season surf and strong onshore winds. Be especially careful around the pier structure and maintain adequate distance from pilings. Conditions can change quickly during tropical systems and strong northeast wind events.
- Huntington Beach
- Wave
- Beach break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- Year-round, best in summer (south swells)
- Tide
- All tides; sandbar-dependent
- Watch out
- Rip currents form between the sandbars — always check conditions before paddling out.
- Lower Trestles
- Wave
- Reef break · Left and right
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- Best on a mid-to-high tide
- Watch out
- Breaks over shallow coral or rock reef — booties are recommended and mind the take-off zone.
- Mavericks
- Wave
- Reef break · Right-hand
- Level
- Advanced
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- Best on a mid-to-high tide
- Watch out
- Breaks over shallow coral or rock reef — booties are recommended and mind the take-off zone.
- Rincon
- Wave
- Point break · Right-hand
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; best on a pushing tide
- Watch out
- Rocks and strong currents run around the point, so plan your entry and exit carefully.
- Sebastian Inlet
- Wave
- Beach break · A-frame peaks (lefts and rights)
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- August to April (hurricane and winter swells)
- Tide
- All tides; sandbar-dependent
- Watch out
- Rip currents form between the sandbars — always check conditions before paddling out.
- Steamer Lane
- Wave
- Reef break · Right-hand
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- Best on a mid-to-high tide
- Watch out
- Breaks over shallow coral or rock reef — booties are recommended and mind the take-off zone.
- Ventura Point
- Wave
- Point break · Right-hand
- Level
- Intermediate
- Season
- September to April (winter NW swells)
- Tide
- All tides; best on a pushing tide
- Watch out
- Rocks and strong currents run around the point, so plan your entry and exit carefully.
Also mapped here, with a season we can't place on the calendar: Malibu.
Surf spots in United States by level
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to surf the United States?
The best time to surf the United States is November to February: that is when the most breaks are at their best — 24 of the 26 United States breaks we map at the peak.
Can you surf the United States all year round?
Yes. At least one of the 26 breaks we map in the United States is in season in every month of the year, though the most are at their best in November to February.
When is the best time for beginners to surf the United States?
The 3 beginner-rated breaks we map in the United States (Waikiki, Cocoa Beach and Ditch Plains) are mostly at their best in September. Smaller days in the shoulder months are easier to learn on.
Which surf breaks in the United States are lefts and which are rights?
Lefts: Ala Moana Bowls and Cotton's Point. Rights: Sunset Beach, Honolua Bay, Malibu, Rincon, Steamer Lane, Mavericks, Pe'ahi and Swamis. The table below splits every break we map in the United States by type and direction.