Orange County
Bolsa Chica surf report
2ft
Fun-sized — 2.0 ft.
Saturday, September 26 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
2 ft
8 s · W274°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
72.9°F
22.7 °C
Daylight
6:43 AM
sunrise · sunset 6:43 PM
Rip current risk
High risk
Life threatening rip currents are likely.
NWS surf forecast: 3–5 ft (today, Orange County Coastal)
Every level, including Low, describes currents that can kill — how to spot one from the beach and what to do if you are caught.
Tide
Currently rising — next high at 9:24 AM (5.416 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3:22 AM | low | 0.434 ft |
| 9:24 AM | high | 5.416 ft |
| 3:44 PM | low | 0.494 ft |
| 9:40 PM | high | 5.037 ft |
Tide values are predictions. Wind, pressure and surge move the real water level, sometimes by a lot — see the disclaimer.
Forecast
Model output, not a measurement — NOAA WaveWatch III
| Day | Height | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri | 1.5 ft | 11.3 s | NNE 22° |
| Sat | 1.4 ft | 11.8 s | NNE 20° |
| Sun | 2.1 ft | 12.5 s | NNE 14° |
| Mon | 1.9 ft | 6.3 s | E 91° |
| Tue | 1.7 ft | 12.5 s | NNW 348° |
| Wed | 1.4 ft | 5.3 s | E 79° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 72.9 °F (22.7 °C), most people at Bolsa Chica are comfortable in a rash guard or a 1 mm top.
1 mm top
for 72–75 °F
The top is as much about sun and rash as about warmth.
The temperature is measured. The suit recommendation is not — it follows the manufacturers' convention, which varies by a degree or two between brands, and it knows nothing about wind, session length or how you personally run. The full chart and what it leaves out.
Surf cam
No cam here yet. We operate no cameras of our own and embed only where the operator allows it — the rule is on the copyright page. Cam operators who would like a link are welcome to write.
The break
- Type
- Long, open beach break with shifting bars
- Best swell
- W to NW wind swell, S in summer
- Best wind
- Offshore E early
- Tide
- Mid tide
- Level
- Beginner to intermediate
Hazards
- Rip currents
- Wetlands runoff after rain
- Wind chop by midday
Local knowledge, not a measurement. Conditions decide the day — check the National Weather Service for warnings and the lifeguards for whether to go in.
Every source behind this page
- Solunar computed · read 5:46 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 46253 model cycle 20260926 6z · model · read 5:46 AM
- NDBC 46253 buoy wave height · read 5:26 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 9410583 tide predictions · read 5:46 AM
- NWS Surf Zone Forecast SGX zone CAZ552 · read 1:18 AM
All of it is public NOAA and National Weather Service data, free for anyone to use. What we add is the pairing of this spot with these stations — see the terms.
Nearby spots
- Huntington Beach 2 ft · 5 km
- Seal Beach 1.6 ft · 8 km
- Newport Beach 2 ft · 14 km
- Cocoa Beach 3.9 ft · 3598 km
- Haleiwa 6.9 ft · 4139 km
Surf and beach conditions change faster than this page does, and nobody watches it in real time. When the water looks different from the numbers, trust the water and the lifeguards.