Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Orange County, USA)

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- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Spot Information

Cottons Point Surf Guide

Cottons Point in San Diego County is an exposed reef and point break that has dependable surf. Summer offers the best conditions for surfing. The best wind direction is from the northeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the southwest.The break here is a left hand point. Best around mid tide. It's sometimes crowded here. Rocks are a hazard.

Cottons Point Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef and point	2	consistent	18.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Cottons Point:

The best conditions reported for surf at Cottons Point occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Cottons Point (for consistent clean waves)?

octoberBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Cottons Point with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of October. Clean surfable waves are typically found 54% of the time in October while 42% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 4% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

54%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

42%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Cottons Point Location Map

Interactive Cottons Point surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Cottons Point is Tustin Mcaf Airport (NTK) in USA, 41 km (25 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Cottons Point is John Wayne Arpt Orange Co (Santa Ana) Airport (SNA), also in USA, 41 km (25 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Cottons Point Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 01:16 Local Time

m, °C	Mon		Tue
ft, °F	8PM	11PM	2AM	5AM
Wave (m)	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW
Period (s)	16	16	16	16
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	on	on	cross- on	cross- on

What does Cottons Point look like?

Latest photos from Cottons Point. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Dr.Doug

Tides at Cottons Point

Current tide and informaton

For San Clemente, California, 4 km from Cottons Point.

Next High Water: 12:54pm | 0.87m

Next Low Water: 06:17am | -0.01m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Cottons Point Sea Temperature

The water temperature (18.2 °C) at Cottons Point is relatively warm. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a summer wetsuit. Effective air temperature of 16.0 °C.

Today, many surfers would wear a summer wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 18.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite