Surf-Forecast Now Has Webcams
Hundreds of cams are now available, all free, and linked to existing cameras owned by locals. It is the best resource for free, instant eyeballs on the ocean.
Surf cams have a complicated history. Since the first one went up at Pipeline in the 1990s, people have loved them, hated them, and occasionally taken them out with a rock. So when we say we've linked live cams at breaks all over the world on our app and desktop platforms, the first thing to say is what we haven't done. We haven't installed a single one. Every cam you'll find on surf-forecast.com already existed before we linked to it. And yes, we have a direct link for Pipeline.
We point you to the people or groups who own cameras near the spot. That's it. As they're not our cameras, we won't charge for them or put them behind a paywall. Simply click on the webcam button, and our goal is to have the live footage appear in front of the forecast. If that isn’t possible, we show you all the free, working cams nearby, and you can check them out. Our site now provides the best resource for clean, easy, instant eyeballs on the ocean that, and we’ll say it again, you don’t have to pay for.
Whose cameras, exactly, and where
At Supertubes, J-Bay, there's one feed: a livestream someone's running off the point, showing exactly what one of the world’s best waves is doing in real time. No corporate infrastructure behind it. Just a local hostel whose balcony sits just above the boulder-lined jewel.
At Huntington Pier, California, there are two cams: one run by the city's Lifeguard HQ, one giving a view straight off the pier. At Sennen Cove, Cornwall, the cam comes courtesy of Camsecure and the local surf school. A business that's there every day, pointing a camera at the water, so locals and students can scope the conditions.
In France, you can check out whether Hossegor's beachbreaks are turning on with a selection of cams at La Nord, La Graviere and over the harbour at La Piste in Capbreton. With the fickle beachbreaks turning on and off with the flutter of a butterfly's fart, these can be invaluable tools.
On Sydney’s Eastern Beaches, we tap into Randwick City Council's network, the same cams the council uses for its own beach safety monitoring. Whether it's Hawaii, Spain, New Jersey, South Africa or Peru, you can find a cam. And we’re adding more vetted and tested locations every week.
Why this actually matters for your forecast
Our forecasts are built on the same models either way, and we don't massage the numbers to make them easier on the eye. Our surveys show surfers trust our science and the forecast. That’s our most valuable currency. Wave height and angle, period, wind direction, wave energy in kJ: our forecast reflects what the science says, good, bad or average.
"The forecast tells you what the swell should do. It doesn't know who's already in the water, or what the bank's been doing since the last storm,” said Rob Davies, Chief Forecaster for Surf-Forecast. “That's not a flaw in the model; it's just outside what a model can see. The cam fills that gap. We didn't build our own to get it, because someone local already had one pointed at the water. It seemed daft not to use them."
Anyway, check out the cams, and let us know what you think. The only goal is to help surfers score better waves. And if you haven't downloaded the app, hit the button below. It has simple, accurate and easy-to-read surf forecasts for over 7000 spots. Many now with webcams!