What is the best tide for Big Rock?

Big Rock works best on mid to high tide. Tide matters because depth is what trips a wave: as the water fills in, the break slides shoreward onto a different part of the bottom, and over a shallow bank enough water stops it breaking at all. Our forecast solves each hour at that hour's real water level rather than assuming one.

What swell direction is best for Big Rock?

S–SW groundswell suits Big Rock best. The direction that matters is the one at the break, not the one on the buoy: the seafloor bends swell on its way in, so a spot can work on an angle the open coast is missing. We model that bending for each break rather than reporting the offshore direction.

Is Big Rock good for beginners?

Big Rock suits advanced surfers, over rock reef below the PCH bluff. That is the wave this bottom makes on an average day, and it moves: the same break is a different proposition on a bigger swell or a different tide, so read the day's forecast rather than the label.

What is the bottom like at Big Rock?

rock reef below the PCH bluff. It is the reason this break behaves the way it does: the shape of the seabed decides where the swell focuses, where it trips, and whether it spills or pitches. We model Big Rock on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Big Rock Surf Report & Forecast

Fast, shallow reef right under the highway.

2-3 ft

Fair-Good · plunging

Modelled on real 10-foot bathymetry. These figures cover size, shape and wind. Whether the wave is makeable comes from the simulation.

Swell: 1.6 ft at 12s from the SSW
Wind: 5 mph SSE onshore
Tide: 4.0 ft
Break depth: 4 ft
Power: 2 kW/m
Water: 72°F · trunks

Updated Aug 25, 9:44 PM PDT · 3 swell trains · how this is calculated

How Big Rock is breaking right now

Loading Big Rock…

Live · Big Rock, solving nowOpen Big Rock on the map

Solved in your browser from this spot’s seafloor and current swell

What the seafloor does to this wave

A cut straight out from Big Rock, solved on the real seafloor at this hour’s swell and tide.

Why Big Rock looks like this right now

The numbers above, and what each one is actually doing to the wave.

3 swells at once
1.6 ft at 12s from the SSW carrying 64% of the energy, plus 1.0 ft at 17s from the SSW (26%), plus 0.6 ft at 5s from the WSW (10%).
The shorter, steeper train is carrying most of the energy here, so expect a choppier, less organised lineup than the longest period in the list would suggest on its own. Why period matters more than height →
The seafloor is neutral here
Kr 1.01 · 51% of modelled rays break.
Energy arrives roughly as it left deep water: this bottom neither concentrates the swell nor fans it out, so what the buoy sees is close to what you get. Why two breaks a mile apart differ →
Where it trips
4.0 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 4 ft of water.
A wave breaks when the water gets shallow enough relative to its height, so that depth is a contour on the seafloor, and the tide slides the whole break up and down it through the day. Same swell, different spot, a few hours apart. How the tide moves the break →
Barely any wind
5 mph from the SSE, against a shoreline facing 188°.
Too light to shape the face either way. At this speed the wave's own texture wins, whatever the direction.
How the sets come
About one set every 2 min, roughly 8 waves in it.
Swell arrives in groups, not evenly. That spacing is what you are really timing your paddle-out to, and it's why the lineup can look flat for minutes and then produce five waves at once. Why period matters more than height →

Big Rock surf forecast, next seven days

Holding — 2.3–4.4 ft, no notable swell in the window

Seven-day surf forecast for Big Rock: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Wed, Aug 26	3-4 ft	6am to 7amGood	2.3 ft at 13s SSW	5 mph cross-shore	Low -0.4 ft 3amHigh 4.1 ft 9amLow 1.8 ft 2pmHigh 5.9 ft 8pm
Thu, Aug 27	3-4 ft	6am to 1pmFair-Good	2.3 ft at 13s SSW	3 mph cross-shore	Low -0.4 ft 3amHigh 4.4 ft 10amLow 1.5 ft 3pmHigh 5.8 ft 9pm
Fri, Aug 28	2-3 ft	9am to 10amGood	1.8 ft at 10s SSW	3 mph offshore	Low -0.3 ft 4amHigh 4.6 ft 10amLow 1.3 ft 3pmHigh 5.6 ft 10pm
Sat, Aug 29	2-3 ft	8am to 11amGood	1.7 ft at 17s SSW	2 mph onshore	Low -0.0 ft 4amHigh 4.9 ft 10amLow 1.1 ft 4pmHigh 5.2 ft 10pm
Sun, Aug 30	3 ft	8amGood	2.0 ft at 15s SSW	5 mph cross-shore	Low 0.3 ft 5amHigh 5.1 ft 11amLow 0.9 ft 5pmHigh 4.7 ft 11pm
Mon, Aug 31	3 ft	11amFair-Good	2.0 ft at 13s SSW	6 mph onshore	Low 0.8 ft 5amHigh 5.3 ft 11amLow 0.8 ft 6pm
Tue, Sep 1	3-4 ft	11amFair-Good	2.8 ft at 13s SSW	6 mph onshore	High 4.0 ft 12amLow 1.3 ft 5amHigh 5.4 ft 12pmLow 0.8 ft 7pm

Daylight hours only. The best window is the run of hours the model rates highest that day.

How Big Rock works

A short, fast reef right below the PCH bluffs — shallow, punchy, and known for a tight local crew. Needs a solid south to break properly.

Bottom: rock reef below the PCH bluff
Best tide: mid to high
Best swell: S–SW groundswell
Suits: advanced

Common questions about Big Rock

What is the best tide for Big Rock?: Big Rock works best on mid to high tide. Tide matters because depth is what trips a wave: as the water fills in, the break slides shoreward onto a different part of the bottom, and over a shallow bank enough water stops it breaking at all. Our forecast solves each hour at that hour's real water level rather than assuming one.
What swell direction is best for Big Rock?: S–SW groundswell suits Big Rock best. The direction that matters is the one at the break, not the one on the buoy: the seafloor bends swell on its way in, so a spot can work on an angle the open coast is missing. We model that bending for each break rather than reporting the offshore direction.
Is Big Rock good for beginners?: Big Rock suits advanced surfers, over rock reef below the PCH bluff. That is the wave this bottom makes on an average day, and it moves: the same break is a different proposition on a bigger swell or a different tide, so read the day's forecast rather than the label.
What is the bottom like at Big Rock?: rock reef below the PCH bluff. It is the reason this break behaves the way it does: the shape of the seabed decides where the swell focuses, where it trips, and whether it spills or pitches. We model Big Rock on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Nearby breaks

Las Tunas surf report · 2-3 ft
Topanga surf report · 2-3 ft
Venice Breakwater surf report · 3 ft
Malibu (First Point) surf report · 2-3 ft
El Porto (Manhattan Beach) surf report · 2-3 ft