Sarasota County
Siesta Key surf report
2ft
Fun-sized — 2.0 ft.
Saturday, September 26 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
2 ft
4 s · NNW332°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
85.1°F
29.5 °C
Daylight
7:20 AM
sunrise · sunset 7:21 PM
Rip current risk
Low risk
Life threatening rip currents are unlikely but still could occur.
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 12:16 PM (2.046 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 5:50 AM | low | 0.476 ft |
| 12:16 PM | high | 2.046 ft |
| 5:57 PM | low | 0.851 ft |
| 11:58 PM | high | 2.17 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 | 1.1 ft | 4 s | S 186° |
| Sun | 0.4 ft | s | |
| Mon | 0.2 ft | s | |
| Tue | 0.3 ft | s | |
| Wed | 0.5 ft | 2.8 s | NNW 329° |
| Thu | 1.3 ft | 4.3 s | NNW 348° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 85.1 °F (29.5 °C), most people at Siesta Key are comfortable in a boardshorts or a swimsuit.
No suit needed
for 75 °F and warmer
Warm enough to surf with nothing on. A long session in the sun still costs you more heat than it feels like.
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
- Gentle Gulf beach break with famously fine sand
- Best swell
- S to SW groundswell, mostly wind-driven
- Best wind
- Offshore E
- Tide
- Mid tide
- Level
- Beginner
Hazards
- Small most of the year
- Rip currents on tropical-storm swells
- Very crowded in season
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 8:47 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 42098 model cycle 20260926 6z · model · read 8:47 AM
- NDBC 42098 buoy wave height · read 8:30 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 8726034 tide predictions · read 8:47 AM
- NWS Surf Zone Forecast TBW zone FLZ160 · read 3:00 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
- Clearwater Beach 2 ft · 84 km
- Cocoa Beach 3.9 ft · 224 km
- Ponce Inlet 5.2 ft · 257 km
- Venice Beach 2.6 ft · 3499 km
- Zuma Beach 2.6 ft · 3531 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.