Tippers Surf Guide

Tippers in San Diego County is an exposed reef break that has very reliable surf. Summer offers the best conditions for surfing. The best wind direction is from the east northeast. Clean groundswells prevail and the best swell direction is from the southwest. Good surf at all stages of the tide. Sometimes crowded.

Tippers Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef2very consistent
18.3°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Tippers:

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

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

novemberBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Tippers with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of November. Clean surfable waves are typically found 55% of the time in November while 40% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 5% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
55%
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
5%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Tippers Location Map

Interactive Tippers 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 Tippers is Miramar Mcas Airport (NKX) in USA, 21 km (13 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Tippers is San Diego International Lindbergh Fld Airport (SAN), also in USA, 33 km (20 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)
Map placeholder
Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Tippers Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 08:00 Local Time
Wednesday 06
8AM11AM2PM5PM
Wave (m)
0.7
SW
0.7
SW
0.7
SW
0.6
SW
Period (s) 16 16 16 15
Wind (km/h)
5
10
20
15
Wind State glass cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on

Swell History at Tippers

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

Wind History at Tippers

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


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