South Del Mar Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(San Diego County, USA)

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South Del Mar Surf Guide

South Del Mar in San Diego County is an exposed reef break that has quite reliable surf. Summer offers the optimum conditions for surfing. The best wind direction is from the east. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the west southwest. There is a right breaking reef. When the surf is up, crowds are likely Watch out for .

South Del Mar Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	3	fairly consistent	18.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing South Del Mar:

The best conditions reported for surf at South Del Mar 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 Del Mar (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing South Del Mar 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 Del Mar Location Map

Interactive South Del Mar 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 Del Mar is Miramar Mcas Airport (NKX) in USA, 18 km (11 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to South Del Mar is San Diego International Lindbergh Fld Airport (SAN), also in USA, 30 km (19 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 Del Mar Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 06:40 Local Time

m, °C	Thursday 07
ft, °F	2AM	5AM	8AM	11AM
Wave (m)	SSW	SW	SW	SSW
Period (s)	14	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	glass	on	on

Tides at South Del Mar

Current tide and informaton

For Solana Beach, 1 km from South Del Mar.

Next High Water: 12:54am | 1.77m

Next Low Water: 08:25am | 0.57m

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

South Del Mar Sea Temperature

The water temperature (18.2 °C) at South Del Mar 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 17.0 °C.

Today, many surfers would wear a summer wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 18.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at South Del Mar

Surf stats for South Del Mar, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at South Del Mar

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

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

South Del Mar 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 2 votes.

Overall:3.0
Quality on a good day:3.0
Consistency of Surf:2.5
Difficulty Level:2.0
Wind and Kite Surfing:1.0
Crowds:3.0
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

Kooks McGee from United States

“Specifically the 11th St. Reef:

Average mellow wave when it's small to medium. Can be somewhat frustrating as the waves tend to peak on the outside, only to back off as it rolls towards shore, making timing tricky for beginners.

Requires a mildly sketchy downclimb from cliffs to access, but parking on the street is very easy during dawn patrol. Relatively uncrowded and no signs of localism the few dozen times I've been there.

Excellent spot for late beginners due to the consistency, lack of crowds, and overall mildness of the wave.”

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

Discover surf breaks near South Del Mar. Click below to view there surf guides.