Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the largest in the Kodiak Archipelago. The island is situated on the south coast of Alaska and it is separated from the mainland by the Shelikof Strait.
On the northeast tip of Kodiak Island, on the northern side of the Kodiak city, along the road, lies one amazing beach, the Mill Bay beach. Mill Bay beach is a surfing heaven that doesn’t break a lot. With the correct weather conditions though, it can be a world class spot.
The spot is in the city, very easy to find and it is public. Having a normal wave quality, it is appropriate for all level surfers. The wave type is beach-break and waves come from both directions, right and left, shaking the sandy bottom.
Wave power is ordinary, providing a wave length of about 50 m/164 ft on normal days and 50 – 150 m/164 – 492 ft on good days.
The best swell direction comes from the north, southeast, east and northeast and the swell size starts working at 1 – 1.5 m/3 – 5 ft and holds up to 3+ m/10+ ft. The mid tide is the best tide position with rising and falling tides being the best tide movement.
The best thing to do is to paddle out on the left side of the reef when it is big and then paddle behind the reef into the zone, once you are far enough out. The spot is really good in winter, when it gets faces of 1.5+ m/5+ ft and starts to get really clean and barreling.
The beach is not crowded at all, having like 10 people in town who surf. If you love surfing and visit or live on Kodiak Island, Mill Bay is worth a visit!
