Sand spit Surf Guide

Sand spit in San Luis Obispo is an exposed sandbar break that has consistent surf. Offshore winds are from the east southeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the northwest. Waves at the sandbar break both left and right. Good surf at all stages of the tide. When the surf is up, it can get quite busy in the water. Take care of urchins, rips, rocks, private, locals and sharks.

Sand spit Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Sandbar3consistent
13.5°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Sand spit:

The best conditions reported for surf at Sand spit occur when a Northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East-southeast.

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

januaryBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Sand spit 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 67% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 2% 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
67%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
2%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Sand spit Location Map

Interactive Sand spit 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 Sand spit is Vandenberg Afb (Lompoc) Airport (VBG) in USA, 70 km (43 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Sand spit is Lemoore Nas Airport (NLC), also in USA, 142 km (88 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)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Sand spit Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 4 May 2026, 15:02 Local Time
Monday 04
2PM5PM8PM11PM
Wave (m)
1.2
WNW
1.3
WNW
1.2
WNW
1.2
WNW
Period (s) 14 14 14 14
Wind (km/h)
15
20
15
10
Wind State on on on cross-
on

Swell History at Sand spit

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

Wind History at Sand spit

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


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