Orange County
Huntington Beach surf report
2.6ft
Fun-sized — 2.6 ft.
Sunday, September 27 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
2.6 ft
12 s · S178°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
73°F
22.8 °C
Daylight
6:43 AM
sunrise · sunset 6:41 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 9:49 AM (5.706 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3:46 AM | low | 0.74 ft |
| 9:49 AM | high | 5.706 ft |
| 4:24 PM | low | 0.201 ft |
| 10:22 PM | high | 4.662 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | 2 ft | 12.7 s | NNE 19° |
| Sun | 2.1 ft | 12.4 s | NNE 17° |
| Mon | 1.8 ft | 6.6 s | E 90° |
| Tue | 1.5 ft | 6.5 s | E 90° |
| Wed | 1.1 ft | 5.9 s | E 90° |
| Thu | 0.8 ft | 12.9 s | N 8° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 73 °F (22.8 °C), most people at Huntington Beach 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
The break
- Type
- Beach break with several peaks along the pier
- Best swell
- S-SW in summer, WNW wind swell in winter
- Best wind
- Light offshore, early morning (Santa Ana conditions)
- Tide
- Mid tide
- Level
- Beginner to intermediate
Hazards
- Crowds
- Rip currents along the pier pilings
- Water quality after rain
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 6:38 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 46253 model cycle 20260927 6z · model · read 6:38 AM
- NDBC 46253 buoy wave height · read 5:56 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 9410583 tide predictions · read 6:38 AM
- NWS Surf Zone Forecast SGX zone CAZ552 · read 12:28 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
- Bolsa Chica 2.6 ft · 5 km
- Newport Beach 2.6 ft · 9 km
- Seal Beach 1.6 ft · 13 km
- Linda Mar (Pacifica) 5.6 ft · 598 km
- Nahant 11.8 ft · 4182 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.