Santa Cruz County
Capitola surf report
6.2ft
Big — 6.2 ft.
Saturday, September 26 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
6.2 ft
11 s · WNW295°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
59.4°F
15.2 °C
Daylight
6:59 AM
sunrise · sunset 6:58 PM
Rip current risk
No rip current risk level for this beach. The MTR Surf Zone Forecast does not carry a rip current risk line for this zone. The National Weather Service publishes this for some coastlines and not others, so the assessment falls to you and the lifeguards — how to spot a rip current, what to do if you are caught, and what the flags mean.
Tide
Currently rising — next high at 10:42 AM (5.034 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 4:26 AM | low | 0.806 ft |
| 10:42 AM | high | 5.034 ft |
| 4:53 PM | low | 0.835 ft |
| 11:04 PM | high | 4.674 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 | 3.4 ft | 6.2 s | ESE 120° |
| Sat | 3.9 ft | 8.8 s | ESE 115° |
| Sun | 3 ft | 7.5 s | ESE 115° |
| Mon | 3.6 ft | 8 s | ESE 116° |
| Tue | 3.3 ft | 8.4 s | ESE 117° |
| Wed | 3.8 ft | 8.4 s | ESE 116° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 59.4 °F (15.2 °C), most people at Capitola are comfortable in a 4/3 mm full suit.
4/3 mm
for 58–62 °F
- Boots help on longer sessions
Below 60 °F most people want their feet covered before their hands.
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
- Small, sheltered beach break at the village
- Best swell
- W to NW groundswell, much reduced by the point
- Best wind
- Offshore NE
- Tide
- Mid to high tide
- Level
- Beginner
Hazards
- Small and inconsistent
- Creek-mouth water quality after rain
- Crowds in summer
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 46236 model cycle 20260926 6z · model · read 5:46 AM
- NDBC 46236 buoy wave height · read 5:00 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 9413745 tide predictions · read 5:46 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
- Pleasure Point 6.2 ft · 2 km
- Steamer Lane 6.2 ft · 7 km
- Half Moon Bay 7.2 ft · 74 km
- Del Mar 2.3 ft · 617 km
- Hampton Beach 10.2 ft · 4342 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.