Sandy Beach

A short drive from Sitka's town center on Baranof Island, Sandy Beach offers a rare combination of accessibility and character for Alaskan surfers. This road-accessible reef break delivers both lefts and rights that peel over a mixture of sand and boulder bottom, making it one of the most user-friendly paddles around when the ocean decides to cooperate. While the spot is forgiving enough to welcome learners, its overall consistency is suspect and summer months tend to go flat, so patience—and timing—are key to scoring here.

Best Surf Season (November - March)

Sandy Beach's west-southwest exposure lines up perfectly with the dominant winter swell window from SSW through W. During this five-month stretch the North Pacific storm track is in full roar, with average wave heights running between 8-10ft (2.4-3.0m) and periods stretching into the 11-12 second range. Meanwhile, high pressure over the interior delivers offshore flow from the NNE through E quadrant 50-55 percent of the time, keeping the faces clean and hollow. This is the money season for Sandy Beach.