Ventura · Ventura County

Emma Wood Surf Report

Bodi says: Emma Wood is fair at 2–3 ft right now, and fair tomorrow around 4 PM. 🤙

Today's forecast

Surf

2–3 ft

Fair

Tide

Dropping

Low 2.8 ft at 10:14 AM

Wind

6 kt

From NNE · onshore

Water

73°F

from the buoy

Pollution risk

Low

No active advisory

Cobblestone reefs and peaks at Emma Wood State Beach, just north of the Ventura River mouth.

Conditions now

Fair

Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

Epic

2–3 ft. Light onshore wind.

Rated by the Surfing Tomorrow Break Model, our proprietary method. How it works

Est. surf at the break

2–3 ft

Forecast by BODI, from the Scripps nearshore model just off Emma Wood.

Wind now

6 kt

From NNE · onshore · forecast model for Nov 2, 6:00 AM

Better nearby right now

Emma Wood is fair at 2–3 ft. These breaks rate higher:

Oxnard Shores / Mandalay

3–4 ft · Good · ~7 mi

Port Hueneme

3–4 ft · Good · ~13 mi

Tomorrow's forecast

Should I surf tomorrow? · Tue

FairBest 4 PM–6 PM55/100

2–3 ft · 15s W · SSE 3 kt · rising tide

Why: long-period W groundswell + light, glassy wind + rising tide + small surf (under 3 ft caps at Fair).

Swell arriving — next 48 hours

Hourly swell height and period from the GFS-Wave / ECMWF marine model at 34.290, -119.328

Mon 6 AMMon 6 PMTue 6 AMTue 6 PM

Swell height (max 3.1 ft) Period (max 15s)

Peak in the next 48h: 3.1 ft around Wed 5 AM

Longest period: 15s — longer period means the swell was generated by a stronger, more distant storm and will carry more energy into the break.

7-day surf

GFS-Wave + ECMWF model

Mon

Fair

15s

Tue

Fair

15s

Wed

Fair

12s

Thu

Fair

Fri

Fair

10s

Sat

Fair

11s

Sessions · Mon Best session: 8 AM–10 AM · 55/100

Time	Surf	Wind	Tide	Score
6 AM–8 AM	2–3 ft	NNE 5 kt	falling	38
8 AM–10 AM	2–3 ft	NW 3 kt	falling	55
10 AM–12 PM	2–3 ft	E 5 kt	falling	55
12 PM–2 PM	2–3 ft	S 5 kt	rising	48
2 PM–4 PM	2–3 ft	SSW 6 kt	rising	37
4 PM–6 PM	2–3 ft	W 5 kt	falling	33

Sessions · Tue Best session: 4 PM–6 PM · 55/100

Time	Surf	Wind	Tide	Score
6 AM–8 AM	2–3 ft	NW 7 kt	falling	31
8 AM–10 AM	2–3 ft	WSW 5 kt	falling	42
10 AM–12 PM	2–3 ft	SSW 5 kt	falling	42
12 PM–2 PM	2–3 ft	SSW 5 kt	rising	45
2 PM–4 PM	2–3 ft	S 5 kt	rising	49
4 PM–6 PM	2–3 ft	SSE 3 kt	rising	55

How to read this: the curve is our estimated surf size at Emma Wood each day (from the forecast model, not the buoy); dot color is that day's rating at its best daylight hour (5 AM–7 PM), so a windy afternoon won't sink a glassy morning. Emma Wood works best with 10s+.

Tide

Ventura

High

5:01 AM

Low

10:14 AM

High

3:39 PM

Low

10:51 PM

High

5:37 AM

Low

11:27 AM

Best conditions

Swell window: SW through NW (220°–300°)
Ideal period: 10s+
Tide: Low to mid
Wind: Light offshore or glassy (typically early morning)
Size: 2–6 ft

Swells at the buoy

From the buoy: measured by NOAA buoy 46053 (East Santa Barbara Channel) · reading taken Nov 2, 5:30 AM

Total wave height

3.3 ft

All wave energy combined

Groundswell

3 ft8.3s W

Longer-period swell from distant storms

Wind swell

1 ft3.7s WSW

Short-period chop from local or nearby wind

Get alerts

Know when Emma Wood is going to be good.

Get one email the day before this break rates Good or better.

Wind — next 48 hours

Hourly 10 m wind speed. Offshore here is roughly E–NE.

Mon 6 AMMon 6 PMTue 6 AMTue 6 PM

Cleanest window: Tue 12 AM at 1 kt. Arrows show where the wind is blowing: green is offshore or glassy, yellow cross-shore, red onshore.

Swell & wind direction

Where the energy is coming from versus the window Emma Wood needs.

Swell from: WSW · 240°
Wind from: N · 352°
Swell window: SW–WNW (shaded)

Water & air temperature

Water temperature from the buoy (NOAA 46053); air temperature from the weather model. Placed on the wetsuit scale.

73°Fwater · 55°F air

52°58°64°70°76°

Wear: Boardshorts / spring

BODI swell breakdown

Each swell hitting Emma Wood right now, measured just outside the break. Confidence: High.

Groundswell

1.5 ft

17s · SSW 209°

Mid-period swell

0.6 ft

13s · SSW 211°

Wind swell

0.8 ft

9s · SW 219°

Swell heights are open-water heights near the break; wave faces are usually bigger. Wind: NOAA HRRR / GFS. Meet BODI

How we rate the surf

Surf size comes from BODI, our forecasting engine. It starts from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography nearshore wave model at the point closest to Emma Wood, which already accounts for island shadowing, canyons and headlands. BODI then grows each swell by its period (longer swell stands up taller), adds Emma Wood's own local adjustment, and slowly corrects itself by comparing past forecasts with what actually arrived. If that data is unavailable, it falls back to the nearest buoy and Emma Wood's swell window. The Surfing Tomorrow Break Model then rates it. Wave size sets the possible range; the wind decides where in that range it lands. Offshore or glassy wind puts it at the top, cross-shore or light onshore at the bottom, strong onshore drops it one level, and rain or storms drop it one more.

Wave size at the break	Possible rating
Under 1 ft	Poor
1–2 ft	Poor to Fair
2–4 ft	Fair to Good
4–5 ft	Good to Excellent
5–8 ft	Excellent to Epic
8 ft +	Excellent to Epic

Surf under 3 ft never rates above Fair. When the tide is well outside Emma Wood's preferred range (low to mid), the current rating drops one level. Best windows come from the hourly forecast between 5 AM and 7 PM. Estimates, not measurements.

Recent from the lineup — YouTube

The newest YouTube videos and Shorts matching “Emma Wood” and its city. Each is credited to its creator and plays from YouTube.

Through the year — monthly guide & videos

What Emma Wood is like through the year. Pick a month for a quick guide built from recent years of weather and wave records, plus YouTube videos of Emma Wood in that month.

November at Emma Wood

Saved YouTube picks for Emma Wood in November, filtered to real surf footage. The date shown is when each video was posted.

Surf video picks dropping soon — check back daily.

The break

Reef and beach breakCobble and sandIntermediate

Peaks spread along the cobble shoreline.

Works on W and NW swells, with some south swell exposure.

Campground right on the beach.

Hazards & etiquette

Cobbles and rocks.
River runoff after rain.

Getting there

Parking: Emma Wood State Beach lot (paid).
Nearest buoy: NDBC 46053 — East Santa Barbara Channel, about 29 mi away.
Tide station: NOAA 9411189 — Ventura.

Seasonal patterns

Spring (Mar–May)

Late NW swells and windy afternoons. Water about 56–62°F. 4/3 full suit early in the season.

Summer (Jun–Aug)

The Channel Islands block much of the south swell, so many points go quiet — south-facing beaches like Silver Strand and Hueneme pick up what gets through. Water into the mid 60s°F.

Fall (Sep–Nov)

First NW pulses and Santa Ana offshore mornings. Warmest water of the year.

Winter (Dec–Feb)

Prime time — W and NW groundswell lights up Rincon, C-Street and the points. Water 55–59°F, 4/3 suit. Rain brings runoff advisories.

Water quality & pollution

Official bacteria tests, warnings and closures from California BeachWatch (State Water Board, reported by San Diego County), for sampling stations within 1.5 miles. Fetched Nov 2, 6:06 AM.

No active warnings or closures at nearby stations.

Station	Sampled	Test	Result	State limit
No samples at stations within 1.5 miles in the last 60 days.

Air quality (US AQI)

—

Unavailable

PM2.5 · Ozone

— · —

µg/m³

Air quality is a forecast model estimate (Copernicus CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a monitor reading.

Water-quality results come from California's BeachWatch program. Avoid the water for at least 72 hours after significant rain — urban runoff raises bacteria levels at nearly every Southern California beach.

Nearby spots

C-Street

~2 mi

View report

Faria / Pitas Point

~4 mi

View report

Ventura Harbor

~5 mi

View report

Mondo's

~6 mi

View report

Where this data comes from

Every underlying data input comes from the sources listed below. Surf size and ratings are calculated using the Surfing Tomorrow Break Model. Not everything is a live measurement at the break — here's exactly what each item is.

Item	Type	Source	Last updated
Swell height, period, direction	Measured nearshore	NOAA NDBC buoy 46053 (East Santa Barbara Channel). NOAA posts new readings about every 30–60 min.	Reading taken Nov 2, 5:30 AM
Water temperature	Measured nearshore	NOAA NDBC buoy 46053. Water at the break can differ slightly.	Reading taken Nov 2, 5:30 AM
Tide	Official prediction	NOAA CO-OPS station 9411189 (Ventura). Calculated tide tables, not live water level.	Fetched Nov 2, 6:06 AM
7-day swell, 48-hour swell	Forecast model	GFS-Wave / ECMWF marine models via Open-Meteo, for the open ocean off this spot.	Fetched Nov 2, 6:06 AM
Wind now, 48-hour wind, air temperature	Forecast model	Open-Meteo weather model. Local sea breezes can differ from the model.	Fetched Nov 2, 6:06 AM
Conditions rating	Surfing Tomorrow Break Model	Our proprietary rating: estimated wave size sets the range, current wind and rain/storm weather set the level (Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent, Epic).	Calculated Nov 2, 6:06 AM
Est. surf at the break	Surfing Tomorrow Break Model	Our proprietary estimate: buoy groundswell and wind swell scaled by period and swell-window alignment for this break.	From reading at Nov 2, 5:30 AM
Water bacteria, warnings, closures	Official test results	California BeachWatch (State Water Resources Control Board), reported by San Diego County DEHQ. Sampled weekly at most stations; results post a day or more after sampling.	Fetched Nov 2, 6:06 AM
Air quality	Forecast model	Copernicus CAMS air-quality model via Open-Meteo. Not a ground monitor.	Unavailable
Break guide, hazards, seasons	Written guide	General local knowledge. Seasonal water temperatures are typical ranges, not live readings.	Reviewed by our team

Important: buoy 46053 (East Santa Barbara Channel) measures the swell out at sea, not at Emma Wood itself. Waves at the break can be bigger or smaller than the buoy reading depending on swell angle, the sea floor and nearby headlands. Always check the water yourself and know your limits.