South Carlsbad State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(San Diego County, USA)

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South Carlsbad State Beach Surf Guide

South Carlsbad State Beach in San Diego County is an exposed beach break that has quite reliable surf. Summer offers the optimum conditions for surfing. Offshore winds are from the east. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the west southwest. The beach break offers both left and right hand waves. Best around mid tide. Sometimes crowded. Dangerous rips are a hazard of surfing here.

South Carlsbad State Beach Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	2	fairly consistent	18.5°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing South Carlsbad State Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at South Carlsbad State Beach occur when a West-southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing South Carlsbad State Beach 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 58% of the time in January while 38% 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

58%

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

blown out

38%

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 South Carlsbad State Beach Location Map

Interactive South Carlsbad State 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 South Carlsbad State Beach is Miramar Mcas Airport (NKX) in USA, 42 km (26 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to South Carlsbad State Beach is San Diego International Lindbergh Fld Airport (SAN), also in USA, 54 km (34 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.

South Carlsbad State Beach Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Friday, 17 April 2026, 13:10 Local Time

m, °C	Friday 17
ft, °F	2PM	5PM	8PM	11PM
Wave (m)	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW
Period (s)	15	16	16	16
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	on	on	on	glass

What does South Carlsbad State Beach look like?

Latest photos from South Carlsbad State Beach. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: MIKe Delanzo

Tides at South Carlsbad State Beach

Current tide and informaton

For Oceanside, 1 km from South Carlsbad State Beach.

Next High Water: 09:38pm | 2.4m

Next Low Water: 03:22pm | 0.73m

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

South Carlsbad State Beach Sea Temperature

The water temperature (18.5 °C) at South Carlsbad State Beach 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 18.0 °C.

Today, many surfers would wear a summer wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 18.5°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite