Imperial Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(San Diego County, USA)

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Photo by: Carol Gavan

Imperial Beach Surf Guide

Imperial Beach in San Diego County is an exposed beach break that has consistent surf. Winter is the favoured time of year for surfing here. Works best in offshore winds from the east. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the best swell direction is from the southwest. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Hazards include rips and pollution.

Imperial Beach Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Beach	3.7
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
consistent	14.3°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Imperial Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Imperial Beach occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East.

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

7 Day Forecast

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

octoberBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Imperial Beach 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 34% of the time in October while 60% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 6% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

34%

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

blown out

60%

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 Imperial Beach Location Map

Interactive Imperial Beach 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 Imperial Beach is North Island Nas (San Diego) Airport (NZY) in USA, 15 km (9 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Imperial Beach is General Abelardo L Rodriguez International (Tijuana) Airport (TIJ) in Mexico, 16 km (10 miles) away.

Break

Live Wave Height (m)

Live 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.

Imperial Beach Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

7 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Sunday, 17 January 2021, 08:31 Local Time

m, °C	Sunday 17
ft, °F	7AM	10AM	1PM	4PM
Wave (m)	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW
Period (s)	15	15	15	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	glass	on	glass

What does Imperial Beach look like?

Latest photos from Imperial Beach. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Carol Gavan
Credit: Jeannette Shambaugh
Credit: Rick Click Photography
Credit: Kevin Kingsbury

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Tides at Imperial Beach

Current tide and informaton

For Imperial Beach, California, 1.0 km from Imperial Beach.

Next High Water: 11:24am | 1.42m

Next Low Water: 06:19pm | 0.05m

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

Imperial Beach Sea Temperature

Sunny with very warm air temperatures. In contrast the sea remains relatively cold (14.3 °C). Surfers should wear a spring or summer wetsuit though no doubt some would wear less neoprene on such a warm day, no matter what temperature the sea is.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 14.3°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Imperial Beach

Surf stats for Imperial Beach, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Imperial Beach

Wind stats for Imperial Beach, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

Imperial Beach Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings

Based on 9 votes.

Overall:3.7
Quality on a good day:3.6
Consistency of Surf:3.9
Difficulty Level:3.2
Wind and Kite Surfing:3.8
Crowds:3.9
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

KristinaB from United States

“I love IB! I was raised here, and it is a great place to live, work, and play. It has a small town vibe and everyone knows each other. The atmosphere is laid back and chilled. Imperial Beach is not a crowded beach, except for once a year during Sand Castles. Sand Castles is a competition held each year during July. It brings in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and lasts for 3 days. If you love the ocean, love community, and like to live a relaxed lifestyle, IB is for you. The water's great, come on in! There is no place like this little jewel in the most southwest point of the United States. Few people live here, less than 50,000, and the weather is perfect. The locals are friendly, so come on out!”

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

Discover surf breaks near Imperial Beach. Click below to view there surf guides.

Imperial Pier (North and South)
- Beach
Reliability: consistent
1km away
Tijuana Sloughs
- River
- 2.7
Reliability: consistent
4km away
Latest Webcam
Coronado Beaches
- Beach
- 3.6
Reliability: consistent
12km away
Point Loma
- Beach and reef
- 3.4
Reliability: fairly consistent
13km away
Donuts
- Reef
- 2.8
Reliability: inconsistent
14km away

Wave Buoys Nearest To Imperial Beach:

Closest Wave BuoyImperial Beach Nearshore Buoy2 mi
Second closest Wave BuoyPoint Loma South, CA17 mi
Third closest Wave BuoySCRIPPS Nearshore, CA21 mi
Fourth closest Wave BuoyLa Jolla, CA21 mi
Fifth closest Wave BuoyMission Bay West, CA24 mi

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