Torrey Pines State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Torrey Pines State Beach. I’ve got the full 16-day window laid out, and I gotta be straight with you: it’s a pretty slow run for the most part.

The overall pattern is dominated by small, weak swell and a lot of onshore or cross-onshore wind. The water is running about 72°F with a much warmer than normal anomaly, so it’s actually feeling pretty nice for the time of year, but that’s where the good news ends for a while.

We kick off Saturday, July 11th, with a south-southwest swell coming in at 3ft, but that 15-second period is a long-period groundswell. At a beach break, that can mean it breaks too straight, so don't expect much shape. The wind is a cross-on from the south-southwest at 9 mph, which is making it choppy. The combined wave energy is moderate (442), but the surf quality is poor. The afternoon stays cloudy with a light onshore wind, but it’s a marginal call. The energy is still moderate (464).

Sunday the 12th is more of the same: smaller swell, dropping to 3ft in the morning and 3ft in the afternoon, with onshore winds. The energy drops to 224 by the afternoon, and it’s just poor surf conditions across the board. Monday through Wednesday of the following week, the swell is tiny, never really getting above 3ft, and the winds aren't doing us any favors. It’s a real battle to find anything rideable.

We hit a bit of a lull around Thursday the 16th. A weak, short-period 8-second west swell shows up at 4ft, but it’s mixed with 9 mph southwesterly cross-onshore winds, making it a total mess. The energy is moderate (315), but the wave quality is poor. This feels like it’s more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

The second week starts with a flicker of hope on Tuesday, July 21st. The swell ticks up to 4ft from the south-southwest with a 16-second period, and the energy jumps to a strong 623. The winds are onshore from the west-northwest at 9 mph, but it’s still a marginal call. It’s the best-looking pulse in the whole window, but expectations need to be realistic.

From there, the surf slowly fades through the rest of the week. The waves get smaller and the wind stays messy. By Friday the 24th, the energy is down to weak levels (75), and it’s just not worth paddling out.

The last day we look at, Saturday the 25th, has a very long-period 21-second south-southwest groundswell showing up at 2ft, and that’s too long and too small for a beach break to do anything with. The afternoon has a 4ft south-west swell with a 20-second period, pushing the energy to a very strong 955, but it’s a marginal call for tide or quality. The wind is onshore. Sunday the 26th has a similar story, with light winds and a moderate to strong energy level (921), but the quality is still rated as marginal.

To be honest, for a stretch this long, there’s no standout day. The best chance for a wave is on Tuesday the 21st, but it’s still a marginal call. Crowds are "sometimes" an issue here, but with this outlook, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it. Torrey Pines is a beginner-friendly spot, and anything over 5ft starts to get sizable there, but we don’t see that any day. It’s a tough call, but the forecasts can change, so don’t write the whole window off just yet.

Rusty.

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