Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA

MapBeginner-friendlyLive · -

5h 22m of daylight left

Sunset at 2:39 AM

Best window this week

Friday is the call — 8.8 during the 1 PM–2 PM window. Block the morning if you can.

5-day

SKIPSkip

3.1/ 10 · Poor

Best time to ride

1 AM–2 AM

Next 12 hours

Probably not worth the paddle.

Tide window opening

Conditions

Wave

2.5 ft→

Sweet spot 3–12 ft

Period

13s→

Sweet spot 11–18 s

Wind

11 mph SW→

Onshore

Tide

Next · Low 04:52 AM

Session plan

Skip

Probably not worth the paddle.

Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA · Beginner-friendly

SKIP

Peak window

1 AM–2 AM

Avg score 3.8/10

Why this score

Tide will shift conditions soon.

Wave height2.5 ft

Swell period13s

WindOnshore 11 mph

Current: 2.5 ft @ 13s • 11 mph wind. wave height is okay but not doing the heavy lifting period has some energy but isn't classic groundswell wind is starting to hurt shape a bit wind direction is fighting the banks and shape

Next 12 hours

Peak window 1 AM–2 AM

Today's read·Auto-generated from the forecast

Quiet day — 2.5 ft and not much to work with. Tide shift to low around 4:52 AM could change the picture.

9 PM

3.12.5ft

10 PM

3.12.5ft

11 PM

3.12.4ft

12 AM

2.32.4ft

1 AM

3.12.4ft

2 AM

4.52.4ft

3 AM

4.52.4ft

4 AM

4.52.4ft

5 AM

4.52.4ft

6 AM

4.52.4ft

7 AM

4.52.4ft

8 AM

4.52.4ft

Sunrise 1:39 PM Sunset 2:39 AM

Next 5 days

Best window

Best this week

8.8/10

Friday, Sep 4 • 1 PM–2 PM

Wave 4.3 ft

Period 12s

Wind max 10 mph

Temp 56–70°F

Tuesday, Sep 1

4.5 / 10

Best: 10 AM–11 AM

Wave: 2.7 ft

Period: 13s

Wind max: 12 mph

Wednesday, Sep 2

5.8 / 10

Best: 10 AM–11 AM

Wave: 2.6 ft

Period: 12s

Wind max: 13 mph

Thursday, Sep 3

6.6 / 10

Best: 10 AM–11 AM

Wave: 3.3 ft

Period: 9s

Wind max: 11 mph

Friday, Sep 4

8.8 / 10

Best: 1 PM–2 PM

Wave: 4.3 ft

Period: 12s

Wind max: 10 mph

Saturday, Sep 5

8.5 / 10

Best: 12 PM–1 PM

Wave: 3.8 ft

Period: 14s

Wind max: 11 mph

Day	Best window	Score	Wave	Period	Wind max	Temp
Tuesday, Sep 1	10 AM–11 AM	4.5	2.7 ft	13s	12 mph	57–65°F
Wednesday, Sep 2	10 AM–11 AM	5.8	2.6 ft	12s	13 mph	58–66°F
Thursday, Sep 3	10 AM–11 AM	6.6	3.3 ft	9s	11 mph	60–65°F
Friday, Sep 4	1 PM–2 PM	8.8	4.3 ft	12s	10 mph	56–70°F
Saturday, Sep 5	12 PM–1 PM	8.5	3.8 ft	14s	11 mph	57–69°F

Spot intelWetsuit, hazards & notes

Good for beginners today

Beginner basics

Where to go

There is no beginner area at Ocean Beach. It's a heavy, cold beachbreak with one of the longest paddle-outs in California, big closeouts, strong rips, and documented (rare) shark sightings. Watch from the seawall.

What to avoid

The entire lineup, top to bottom. Even competent surfers struggle with the paddle out, and the impact zone holds you down through multiple sets. Cold water demands a 4/3 hooded wetsuit most of the year.

Best beginner conditions

Ocean Beach SF is never beginner-friendly. Drive 20 minutes south to Pacifica's Linda Mar — it's the standard Bay Area learner beach and far more forgiving.

New to surfing? Read the beginner guide →

Wetsuit

Summer setup

Season-based baseline. Water temp varies week to week.

Full guide

Boardshorts / Bikini

Or 2mm top on windy mornings

2mm Springsuit / Shorty

If you get cold easily

Spot notes

How this break works