Mitchell's Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Santa Cruz, USA)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 12 Day Forecast
Maps
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Weather State
Spot Information

Photo by: James Griffith

Mitchell's Cove Surf Guide

Mitchell's Cove in Santa Cruz is a sheltered reef and point break that has quite reliable surf. Winter is the optimum time of year for surfing here. The best wind direction is from the northeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the northwest. Best around low tide when the tide is rising. Often Crowded. Hazards include rips, rocks and locals.

Mitchell's Cove Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Reef and point	2
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
fairly consistent	56°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Mitchell's Cove:

The best conditions reported for surf at Mitchell's Cove occur when a Northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

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

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Mitchell's Cove with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 31% of the time in January while 39% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 30% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

31%

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

blown out

39%

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

too small

30%

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

Explore Mitchell's Cove Location Map

Interactive Mitchell's Cove 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 Mitchell's Cove is Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) in USA, 47 km (29 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Mitchell's Cove is Moffett Federal Afld (Mountain View) Airport (NUQ), also in USA, 52 km (32 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (ft)
Live Wind Speed (mph)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (ft)
Wind Speed (mph)

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

Mitchell's Cove Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Friday, 30 May 2025, 07:31 Local Time

m, °C	Friday 30
ft, °F	8AM	11AM	2PM	5PM
Wave (ft)	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW
Period (s)	9	9	9	9
Wind (mph)
Wind State	glass	cross- on	cross- on	on

What does Mitchell's Cove look like?

Latest photos from Mitchell's Cove. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: James Griffith Credit: James Griffith Credit: James Griffith

Tides at Mitchell's Cove

Current tide and informaton

For Santa Cruz, California, 2 miles from Mitchell's Cove.

Next High Water: 03:36pm | 4ft

Next Low Water: 07:45am | -1ft

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

Mitchell's Cove Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feels like 22.0 °C) at Mitchell's Cove, yet the sea remains several degrees colder than the air. Most surfers will need a spring wetsuit though a summer suit or even a shorty may suffice for a short session.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 56°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite