Orange County
The Wedge surf report
4.3ft
Solid — 4.3 ft.
Sunday, September 27 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
4.3 ft
12 s · SSW203°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
72.1°F
22.3 °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 9:55 AM (5.858 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3:42 AM | low | 0.711 ft |
| 9:55 AM | high | 5.858 ft |
| 4:19 PM | low | 0.179 ft |
| 10:27 PM | high | 4.808 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 72.1 °F (22.3 °C), most people at The Wedge 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
- Wedging shorebreak against the harbour jetty
- Best swell
- Steep S to SSW groundswell
- Best wind
- Light offshore or calm
- Tide
- All tides
- Level
- Experts only
Hazards
- Wave breaks in inches of water onto sand
- Spinal and neck injuries are routine here
- Board restrictions 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 6:38 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 46253 model cycle 20260927 6z · model · read 6:38 AM
- NDBC 46285 buoy wave height · read 5:56 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 9410580 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
- Newport Beach 2.6 ft · 5 km
- Huntington Beach 2.6 ft · 14 km
- Bolsa Chica 2.6 ft · 19 km
- Bolinas 5.6 ft · 647 km
- Waimea Bay 7.2 ft · 4146 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.