Surf-Forecast | Sunset Beach Surf Guide

Lat Long: 33.72° N 118.07° W

Issued: 9 am 04 Nov 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in hr min

Today's Sunset Beach sea temperature is

22.6°C

Sunset Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.

Photo by: Jenn

Sunset Beach Surf Guide

Sunset Beach in Orange County is a reasonably exposed sandbar break that has fairly consistent surf. Summer offers the best conditions for surfing. Offshore winds blow from the northeast. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the ideal swell direction is from the southwest. The sandbar breaks offer lefts and rights. Sometimes crowded. Beware of - Rips / undertow.

Sunset Beach Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Sandbar	2	fairly consistent	22.6°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Sunset Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Sunset Beach occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Sunset 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 4% of the time in January while 7% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 89% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

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

blown out

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

too small

89%

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

Explore Sunset Beach Location Map

Interactive Sunset 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 Sunset Beach is Long Beach Airport (LGB) in USA, 14 km (9 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Sunset Beach is John Wayne Arpt Orange Co (Santa Ana) Airport (SNA), also in USA, 19 km (12 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.

Sunset Beach Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 16:13 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 04
ft, °F	1PM	4PM	7PM	10PM
Wave (m)	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW
Period (s)	14	14	14	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	on	cross- on	glass

What does Sunset Beach look like?

Latest photos from Sunset Beach. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Julie Gonzalez Credit: Jenn Credit: Jenn

Tides at Sunset Beach

Current tide and informaton

For Seal Beach, 4 km from Sunset Beach.

Next High Water: 05:53pm | 1.76m

Next Low Water: 11:56pm | 0.58m

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

Sunset Beach Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feeling like 21.0 °C once we account for wind), and similar sea temperatures (22.6 °C). Wear boardshorts or a shorty, or better still a thin summer wetsuit to keep the UV off.

Today, many surfers would wear a shorty.

Current Temp*: 22.6°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite