Pacific Beach, San Diego · San Diego County
Pacific Beach Surf Report
Surf
2–3 ft
Fair
Tide
Rising
High 5.4 ft at 7:51 PM
Wind
4 kt
From W · onshore
Water
75°F
from the buoy
Water quality
Low
Recent tests within limits
Pacific Beach is a long, busy city beach with peaks up and down the sand and around Crystal Pier. It picks up most swells, suits a wide range of abilities, and is one of the easiest places in San Diego to just show up and surf.
Conditions now
Fair
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
Epic
2–4 ft with light onshore wind
Rated by the Surfing Tomorrow Break Model, our proprietary method. How it works
Est. surf at the break
2–3 ft
Surfing Tomorrow Break Model, calculated from buoy 46254 readings and Pacific Beach's swell window.
Wind now
4 kt
From W · onshore · forecast model for Sep 23, 3:00 PM
Swells at the buoy
From the buoy: measured by NOAA buoy 46254 (Scripps Nearshore (CDIP 201)) · reading taken Sep 23, 2:26 PM
Total wave height
3.3 ft7s W 278°
All wave energy combined
Groundswell
1 ft13.3s WNW
Longer-period swell from distant storms
Wind swell
2.6 ft7.1s W
Short-period chop from local or nearby wind
7-day surf
GFS-Wave + ECMWF modelForecast unavailable.
How to read this: the curve is our estimated surf size at Pacific Beach each day (from the forecast model, not the buoy); dot color is that day's rating using the day's strongest wind. Pacific Beach works best with 10s+.
Tide
La Jolla (Scripps Pier)
Low
2:05 AM
High
8:27 AM
Low
1:52 PM
High
7:51 PM
Low
2:28 AM
High
8:44 AM
Best conditions
- Swell window
- W through SW (200°–280°)
- Ideal period
- 10s+
- Tide
- Low to mid
- Wind
- Light E / NE (morning)
- Size
- 2–5 ft
Swell arriving — next 48 hours
Hourly swell height and period from the GFS-Wave / ECMWF marine model at 32.797, -117.256
Peak in the next 48h: 0.0 ft around Wed 3 PM
Longest period: 0s — longer period means the swell was generated by a stronger, more distant storm and will carry more energy into the reef.
Wind — next 48 hours
Hourly 10 m wind speed. Offshore here is roughly E–NE.
Cleanest window: Wed 8 PM at 0 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 Pacific Beach needs.
- Swell from
- SSW · 200°
- Wind from
- N · 0°
- Swell window
- SSW–W (shaded)
Water & air temperature
Water temperature from the buoy (NOAA 46254); air temperature from the weather model. Placed on the wetsuit scale.
Wear: Boardshorts / spring
How we rate the surf
The Surfing Tomorrow Break Model is our own proprietary method. It takes the swells measured at the nearest buoy, scales each one by its period (longer swell grows more as it reaches shallow water) and by how well it lines up with Pacific Beach's swell window, then combines them into a wave size at the break. 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 |
Estimates, not measurements — not yet checked against logged sessions.
Recent from the lineup — YouTube
The newest YouTube videos and Shorts matching “Pacific Beach” and its city. Each is credited to its creator and plays from YouTube.
Through the year — monthly guide & videos
What Pacific Beach 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 Pacific Beach in that month.
September at Pacific Beach
In September, waves at Pacific Beach typically peak around 3.3 ft each day, with swell mostly from the SW at about 11 seconds, the water averages 70°F (a springsuit or 2 mm full suit), air runs 65–77°F, and it rains on about 3 days.
Typical wave peak
3.3 ft
SW swell · 11s
Water
70°F
a springsuit or 2 mm full suit
Air
77°F
lows 65°F
Rainy days
3
per month
Averages for 2023–2025. Waves and water temperature: Open-Meteo marine model (offshore, not measured at the break). Air and rain: Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis, Copernicus/ECMWF). Treat these as a general guide, not a forecast.
Saved YouTube picks for Pacific Beach in September, filtered to real surf footage. The date shown is when each video was posted.
Surfing Pacific Beach, San Diego October 2017
Louis Anthony · Posted Oct 19, 2017
🌴☀️September feels like summer in San Diego! 🌊Surfers, sunshine & endless vibes at Pacific Beach.
The Best of San Diego · Posted Sep 12, 2025
The break
Peaks shift with the sandbars along the beach. Look for sandbars that are holding shape rather than surfing one fixed spot.
Crystal Pier often helps hold sand and can produce better-shaped peaks nearby.
It's open to both south and west swells, so it works more often than the more sheltered La Jolla beaches.
Surfing zones and swimming zones are separated in summer — follow the lifeguard flags.
Hazards & etiquette
- Pier pilings at Crystal Pier.
- Rip currents between sandbars.
- Crowded with swimmers in summer; watch for black-ball (no-surf) zones.
Getting there
- Parking
- Street parking and small lots near the boardwalk. Busy on weekends.
- Entry
- Walk straight off the sand.
- Facilities
- Restrooms, showers and lifeguard towers along the boardwalk.
- Nearest buoy
- NDBC 46254 — Scripps Nearshore (CDIP 201), the closest wave buoy, about 5 mi north, off Scripps Pier in La Jolla.
Seasonal patterns
Spring (Mar–May)
Mixed swell, cool water around 60–64°F, frequent fog.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
South swells and warm water, often 66–72°F. Very crowded.
Fall (Sep–Nov)
Warm water plus the first northwest swells.
Winter (Dec–Feb)
Larger west swells. Water around 58–62°F.
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 Sep 23, 3:16 PM.
No active warnings or closures at nearby stations.
| Station | Sampled | Test | Result | State limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara Cove, S endMB-131 · 1 mi away | 2026-09-18 | Enterococcus | 1,335 Copies/100ml | 1,413 · under |
| Tourmaline drain outletFM-030 · 0.7 mi away | 2026-09-16 | Enterococcus | 830 Copies/100ml | 1,413 · under |
| Fanuel ParkMB-120 · 0.8 mi away | 2026-09-16 | Enterococcus | 662 Copies/100ml | 1,413 · under |
| Grand Ave.EH-250 · 0.2 mi away | 2026-08-25 | Enterococcus | 10 CFU/100ml | 104 · under |
| Grand Ave.EH-250 · 0.2 mi away | 2026-08-25 | Fecal Coliforms | 20 CFU/100ml | 400 · under |
| Grand Ave.EH-250 · 0.2 mi away | 2026-08-25 | Total Coliforms | 20 CFU/100ml | 10,000 · under |
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.
Sampled by the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health. Rain runoff affects this area — avoid the water for 72 hours after measurable rain.
Nearby spots
Where this data comes from
Every number on this page is pulled fresh from public sources each time the page loads. Nothing is invented. But 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 46254 (Scripps Nearshore (CDIP 201)). NOAA posts new readings about every 30–60 min. | Reading taken Sep 23, 2:26 PM |
| Water temperature | Measured nearshore | NOAA NDBC buoy 46254. Water at the break can differ slightly. | Reading taken Sep 23, 2:26 PM |
| Tide | Official prediction | NOAA CO-OPS station 9410230 (La Jolla (Scripps Pier)). Calculated tide tables, not live water level. | Fetched Sep 23, 3:16 PM |
| 7-day swell, 48-hour swell | Forecast model | GFS-Wave / ECMWF marine models via Open-Meteo, for the open ocean off this spot. | Fetched Sep 23, 3:16 PM |
| Wind now, 48-hour wind, air temperature | Forecast model | Open-Meteo weather model. Local sea breezes can differ from the model. | Fetched Sep 23, 3:16 PM |
| 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 Sep 23, 3:16 PM |
| 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 Sep 23, 2:26 PM |
| 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 Sep 23, 3:16 PM |
| 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: the buoy sits just off Scripps Pier in about 20 m of water, not at Pacific Beach 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.