Waddell Creek Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Santa Cruz, USA)

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- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Spot Information

Waddell Creek Surf Guide

Waddell Creek in Santa Cruz is an exposed beach and reef break that has unreliable waves Offshore winds blow from the northeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the ideal swell angle is from the southwest. The beach break provides left and right handers. Best around high tide. Even when there are waves, it's not likley to be crowded. Watch out for rips, sharks and rocks.

Waddell Creek Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	2	inconsistent	14.3°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Waddell Creek:

The best conditions reported for surf at Waddell Creek 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 Waddell Creek (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Waddell Creek 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 12% of the time in January while 18% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 70% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

12%

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

blown out

18%

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

too small

70%

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

Explore Waddell Creek Location Map

Interactive Waddell Creek 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 Waddell Creek is Moffett Federal Afld (Mountain View) Airport (NUQ) in USA, 41 km (25 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Waddell Creek is Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), also in USA, 43 km (27 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.

Waddell Creek Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 06:53 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	8AM	11AM	2PM	5PM
Wave (m)	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW
Period (s)	15	15	15	14
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross	cross	cross

What does Waddell Creek look like?

Latest photos from Waddell Creek. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: slc Credit: Davie Credit: John

Tides at Waddell Creek

Current tide and informaton

For Ano Nuevo Island, California, 4 km from Waddell Creek.

Next High Water: 03:47pm | 1.01m

Next Low Water: 08:12am | -0.12m

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

Waddell Creek Sea Temperature

The water temperature (14.3 °C) at Waddell Creek is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (14.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.