Surf: General: From Princeton Harbor south, there are four miles of beach that form the crescent of Half Moon Bay, so at any time of day or year, some part of this beach is picking up whatever signals are being sent from N or S. Most of the time, the surf along here is junk, as it is too exposed, and the bottom is usually flat and not really surf-conducive. But with the right combo of conditions, these beachbreaks can be mind-bogglingly good. Like most places at the northern top of North Central California, all of the Half Moon Bay beaches are almost impossible to predict. The weather is in a constant state of flux, and the bottom contours are constantly changing. As a general rule, 90 percent of the time you check these beaches, they're bad. But if the winds are offshore or it's glassy, and the swell is small to mid-size, preferably from the W, you may happen on the hottest hundred yards with no one around. Tides: Variable, depends on sandbars Size: Waist high-2X overhead Wind: E or glassy Swell: W, NW, SW Bottom: Sand, some rock. Paddling: Moderate. Spot Rating: Kinda fun. Access: Most of the roads off Highway 1 lead to the beach. Some end in State Parks, some end in dirt parking lots. Crowds: Crowd Factor: Easily avoidable. Local Vibe: Easily avoidable. Environment: Mostly clean. Hazards: Loneliness, Currents, Shorebreak poundings. Angry farmers. Season: January-December