Sunset Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(San Diego County, USA)

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Sunset Cliffs Surf Guide

Sunset Cliffs in San Diego County is an exposed reef break that has quite consistent surf. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. Works best in offshore winds from the east. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the west. Reef breaks provide lefts and rights. Best around low tide. Likely to be crowded if working. Beware of urchins, rips, rocks, obstacles, locals and pollution.

Sunset Cliffs Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	3	fairly consistent	17.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Sunset Cliffs:

The best conditions reported for surf at Sunset Cliffs occur when a West swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Sunset Cliffs 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 51% of the time in January while 40% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 9% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

51%

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

blown out

40%

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 Sunset Cliffs Location Map

Interactive Sunset Cliffs 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 Cliffs is North Island Nas (San Diego) Airport (NZY) in USA, 4 km (2 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Sunset Cliffs is San Diego International Lindbergh Fld Airport (SAN), also in USA, 7 km (4 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 Cliffs Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 01:10 Local Time

m, °C	Mon		Tue
ft, °F	8PM	11PM	2AM	5AM
Wave (m)	SW	SW	SW	SW
Period (s)	16	16	16	17
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	on	on

What does Sunset Cliffs look like?

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

Credit: Chris Maxin

Tides at Sunset Cliffs

Current tide and informaton

For San Diego, Quarantine Station, California, 3 km from Sunset Cliffs.

Next High Water: 01:05pm | 0.9m

Next Low Water: 06:30am | -0.01m

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

Sunset Cliffs Sea Temperature

The water temperature (17.0 °C) at Sunset Cliffs 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 16.0 °C.

Today, many surfers would wear a summer wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 17.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite