Mavericks Beach - Half Moon Bay, CA

Yi Fu

Great place to visit during low tide. I saw numerous marine species for the first time in the wild.

Chia-chen Lehahn

Dog friendly beach with very interesting tide pool ecosystem to discover. On the weekend there are families with children playing with sand, people collecting clams. We used the chance of low tide and walked to the other side (Ross’ Cove). It was quite an exciting trip.

Jon Pires

Beautiful beach to just sit and watch. Nice walk out to the base of the cliff. The sunken eye sore in the shallows that’s probably contaminating water and the trash we kept finding everywhere was a turn off. Pay lots of taxes for dirty state beaches.

Abe Hogan

This is such a fun, dog-friendly beach! When the tide is low, you can bring buckets and find cool things under water. You’ll probably have to do more research on what exactly people find, but there were dozens of families and people out on a Sunday afternoon with buckets full of things! Very cool! Also the starfish and other wildlife was so beautiful! Only con: very limited parking and be cognizant of parking in LEGAL spots. Cheers mate!!

Heather Bryant

Beautiful beach, but watch out for broken mussel shells ? and jelly fish ? in the sand (both are EVERYWHERE). Practically NO ONE follows the leash law while walking the trail from Pillar Point, so anticipate lots of random dogs running up to you. Also, the parking lot to access the trail to the beach is nearly always packed full on the weekend when weather is nice. Road access beyond the entrance to the parking lot is restricted by the military base atop the hill, so if you get tired of waiting for a parking spot to open up, you'll have to make a U-turn on the road and find somewhere else to park. When we were waiting for a parking spot, a group of chatty dog-walkers were standing around gabbing with one another, blocking the entrance to the parking lot before finally pulling out, with seemingly no regard for the long line of cars waiting.

Other than that, the scenery is soothing. ?️?⛵ It's an enjoyable experience visiting a place with so much history. ?‍♀️? You can hear the seals from Pillar Point Harbor barking as you walk along the trail. There are warnings posted about bacterial contamination of the stagnant water around Pillar Point (marsh) before you get out to the actual beach, so I'd be wary of playing in the water there. There are porta-potties at the entrance to the trail, but that's the only spot, so use the bathroom before you get out to the beach. Children and adults who enjoy collecting sea shells will be delighted to find mussel shells, colorful sea snail shells, sand dollars, and many others. We even found a tiny pearl! ? There is also a wealth of other flora and fauna to be explored in the tide pools, along the trail, and around the beach!

Sudipa Bhattacharya

Very relaxing to watch the Great Blue Heron & Sunset. Trail to the beach is beautiful.

K F

I didn't dress warm enough (or look at the reviews ahead of time) for the walk from the parking lot to the good part of the beach. A lot of the initial foreground seems to be muddy and under construction. Couldn't see the cliffs at all from the water's edge off the parking lot. Very calm waters with not much going on. Nice mountains in the distance with some small planes flying around.

Booyaka Stubbs (ExplorewithStubbs.com)

Hands down one of the best places on the planet for big wave surfing...brought my family here to see this place for the awesomeness that it is and for myself to exercise some demons from my past. Have been scared to set foot on Mavericks for years as it almost killed me back in my early 20's. I remember the water being very cold and the water moving very fast. Seals and otters are everywhere along the water. Parking is scarce at best on a half decent day, so on a beautiful day be prepared to walk as there isn't any roadside parking due to the military base and the traffic in and out. The lot itself is very small and parking can get very tight. Half moon bay is a great place to walk around and just soak in the surroundings, mind you the crazy abundance of seaweed can get overwhelming for the nostrils. Cool ride pools make it extra enjoyable too. Beware of sneaker waves and keep your distance from the napping seals on the beach. Remember to thank Jeff Clark in your prayers for having the balls and the vision to even attempt riding Mavericks at all let alone all those years...alone. Hit up the surf shop and chill at the bar for some wobbly pops and chow. Ride on brothers and sisters and remember W.W.E.D. Peace.