Shacks Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Santa Cruz, USA)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Weather State
Spot Information

Shacks Surf Guide

Shacks in Santa Cruz is an exposed reef break that has fairly consistent surf. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. The best wind direction is from the north northeast. Groundswells are more common than windswells and the best swell direction is from the southwest. The quality of the surf isn't affected by the tide. Even when the surf is up, crowds are unknown. Take care of the strong rips here.

Shacks Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	2	fairly consistent	13.5°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Shacks:

The best conditions reported for surf at Shacks occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

augustBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Shacks with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of August. Clean surfable waves are typically found 26% of the time in August while 24% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 50% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

26%

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

blown out

24%

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

too small

50%

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

Explore Shacks Location Map

Interactive Shacks 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 Shacks is Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) in USA, 46 km (29 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Shacks is Moffett Federal Afld (Mountain View) Airport (NUQ), also in USA, 48 km (30 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.

Shacks Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 4 May 2026, 09:02 Local Time

m, °C	Monday 04
ft, °F	8AM	11AM	2PM	5PM
Wave (m)	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW
Period (s)	14	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	on	cross- on	cross

Tides at Shacks

Current tide and informaton

For 4 Mile, 2 km from Shacks.

Next High Water: 02:25pm | 1.52m

Next Low Water: 06:14pm | 1.33m

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

Shacks Sea Temperature

The water temperature (13.5 °C) at Shacks is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (12.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.