San Francisco
Ocean Beach surf report
5.2ft
Solid — 5.2 ft.
Thursday, August 13 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
5.2 ft
8 s · WNW285°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
59.5°F
15.3 °C
Daylight
6:24 AM
sunrise · sunset 8:05 PM
Tide
Currently falling — next low at 5:53 AM (-0.83 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 5:53 AM | low | -0.83 ft |
| 12:36 PM | high | 5.584 ft |
| 5:57 PM | low | 1.895 ft |
| 11:52 PM | high | 6.465 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | 2.6 ft | 8.3 s | E 98° |
| Thu | 2.7 ft | 7.9 s | E 94° |
| Fri | 2.1 ft | 7.2 s | E 100° |
| Sat | 1.4 ft | 5.7 s | E 99° |
| Sun | 2 ft | 15.4 s | NE 38° |
| Mon | 1.7 ft | 14.4 s | NE 39° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 59.5 °F (15.3 °C), most people at Ocean Beach 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
- Powerful, shifting beach break over sandbars
- Best swell
- W to NW groundswell
- Best wind
- Offshore E on rare calm mornings
- Tide
- Low to mid tide
- Level
- Advanced to expert
Hazards
- Brutal paddle-out and long hold-downs
- Very strong rip currents
- Cold water and fog
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 2:15 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 46237 model cycle 20260813 0z · model · read 2:15 AM
- NDBC 46237 buoy wave height · read 10:30 PM
- NOAA CO-OPS 9414275 tide predictions · read 2:15 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
- Linda Mar (Pacifica) 5.2 ft · 18 km
- Bolinas 5.2 ft · 23 km
- Half Moon Bay 5.2 ft · 30 km
- Pleasure Point 3.6 ft · 101 km
- Santa Barbara 1.6 ft · 451 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.