Windsurfing 94

Is the bay area a good place for windsurfing?
Yes! During the spring and summer, many locations around the bay area are blessed with the high winds that windsurfers love. Coming from Stanford, the closest windsurfing spots are 3rd Avenue and Coyote Point. Both of these are located on the bay between the San Mateo bridge and SFO airport. On this part of the bay, the spring and summer winds are typically thermally driven, so they build rapidly on most afternoons. Winds of 20 knots or better are not uncommon during this time. If you get tired of coyote and 3rd and are willing to drive a little further, there are other great windsurfing spots scattered all over the bay from San Fransisco to the East Bay, up into the Sacramento River delta. More advanced windsurfers can head to the coast (Half Moon Bay and Waddell Creek are popular) to windsurf and jump in the actual surf.

Some people are suprised at how cold the water in the bay is compared to the mild climate in the area. This is due to the steepness of the California coast as it drops off into deep ocean and that we are situated directly "downstream" of Alaska. So yes, the water is cold. However, a good 3mm wetsuit (or preferably a 4-3 during the winter) is perfectly adequate to keep you warm and happy enjoying the great windsurfing in the bay area.