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drop in, Sharks Cove/The Hook

5:53 pm 3 Sep 2011

Spring, 2010, Steamer Lane-Middle Peak

9:42 am 28 Mar 2010

Sunset State Beach ratings
Quality on a good day: 2.0
Consistency of surf: 2.0
Difficulty level: 1.0
Crowds: 4.0

See all 18 ratings

Based on 1 vote. Vote

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Sunset State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(California – Santa Cruz, USA)

Sunset State Beach photo

Photo credit: CAPictures
Surf Break: Sunset State Beach

Name: Sunset State Beach
Type: beach
Reliability: inconsistent
Best Swell: W Offshore Wind: E

Sunset State Beach in Santa Cruz is an exposed beach break that only works once in a while with no particular seasonal pattern. Offshore winds blow from the east. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the west. The beach break offers both left and right hand waves. Best around high tide. Rarely crowded here. Hazards include rips and sharks.

Secret spot? We can hide it!

Overall Sunset State Beach Surf Consistency and Wind Distribution

IMPORTANT: Beta version feature! Swell heights are open water values from NWW3. There is no attempt to model near-shore effects. Coastal wave heights will generally be less, especially if the break does not have unobstructed exposure to the open ocean.

This image illustrates the combination of swells directed at Sunset State Beach through... (show all text)

The graph describes how often and how strongly the wind blows from different directions... (show all text)

Also see Sunset State Beach surf quality by season and Sunset State Beach surf quality by month.

Sunset State Beach Location Map

Select Sunset State Beach Location Map Detail:

Contours: Roads & Rivers: Select a surf break from the menu
Surf breaks located close to Sunset State Beach Shoreline around Sunset State Beach Roads and rivers around Sunset State Beach

Use this relief map to navigate to California - Santa Cruz surf breaks and tide stations that are in the area of Sunset State Beach


Visitor Reviews of Sunset State Beach


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Other Nearby Surf Breaks closest to Sunset State Beach:

  (click location name for more details)
Closest break Manresa State Beach 3 mi
Second closest break Zmudowski State Beach 6 mi
Third closest break Moss Landing 6 mi
Fourth closest break Capitola Jetty 7 mi
Fifth closest break Salinas River State Beach 7 mi

Wave buoys nearest to Sunset State Beach:

Closest wave buoy Monterey Buoy 32 mi
Second closest wave buoy Half Moon Bay Buoy 66 mi
Third closest wave buoy Cape San Martin Buoy 80 mi
Fourth closest wave buoy San Francisco Buoy 81 mi
Fifth closest wave buoy Bodega Bay Buoy 122 mi

Tide stations nearest to Sunset State Beach:

Closest tide station Elkhorn Slough railroad bridge, Monterery Bay, Cali 6 mi
Second closest tide station Elkhorn Slough railroad bridge, California 6 mi
Third closest tide station Elkhorn Slough, Highway 1 Bridge, Monterey Bay, Cal 7 mi
Fourth closest tide station Elkhorn Yacht Club, Elkhorn Slough, California 7 mi
Fifth closest tide station Elkhorn Yacht Club, Elkhorn Slough, California (sub 7 mi

snow forecast website

Ski Resorts closest to Sunset State Beach:

Closest ski area Badger Pass Ski Area (United States) 131 mi
Second closest ski area Dodge Ridge (United States) 137 mi
Third closest ski area Bear Valley (United States) 148 mi
Fourth closest ski area Sierra Summit Mountain Resort (United States) 150 mi
Fifth closest ski area Kirkwood (United States) 158 mi

city weather forecast website

Town and city forecasts close to Sunset State Beach:

Closest city location Watsonville Municipal Airport (United States) 4 mi
Second closest city location Freedom (United States) 4 mi
Third closest city location Pajaro (United States) 5 mi
Fourth closest city location Watsonville (United States) 5 mi
Fifth closest city location Amesti (United States) 6 mi
  • The closest passenger airport to Sunset State Beach is Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) in USA, 52 km (32 miles) away (directly).
  • The second nearest airport to Sunset State Beach is Moffett Federal Afld (Mountain View) Airport (NUQ), also in USA, 60 km (37 miles) away.
  • Third is San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in USA, 93 km (58 miles) away.
  • Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK) in USA is 98 km (61 miles) away.
  • Modesto City Co Harry Sham Airport (MOD), also in USA is the fifth nearest airport to Sunset State Beach and is 113 km (70 miles) away.
Sunset State Beach break location map and break info
This is the Surf-Forecast page for Sunset State Beach, California - Santa Cruz. Use the tab navigation above to view Sunset State Beach sea temperature, Sunset State Beach photographs, Sunset State Beach detailed swell predictions, wind and weather forecasts, Sunset State Beach webcams, current wind from California - Santa Cruz live weather stations and Sunset State Beach tide predictions. The United States swell maps link will open up the big picture showing United States and the surrounding seas. These swell maps can be animated to show the different swell components, wave energy, wave period, wave heights, together with wind and weather forecasts, current weather and sea state observations from United States wave-buoys, passing ships and coastal weather stations. Each of the forecast pages for this surf break feature a global and regional wavefinder tool to locate the best surf conditions in the area around Sunset State Beach.