County Line (Leo Carrillo) Surf Report & Forecast
Cobble reef peaks at the Los Angeles–Ventura line.
Current conditions
4-5 ftmax ~6 ft
Fair · spilling
Modelled on real 10-foot bathymetry. These figures cover size, shape and wind. Whether the wave is makeable comes from the simulation.
- Swell
- 3.0 ft at 15s from the S
- Wind
- 6 mph SSE onshore
- Tide
- 4.0 ft
- Break depth
- 8 ft
- Power
- 7 kW/m
- Water
- 72°F · trunks
Updated Aug 25, 9:44 PM PDT · 2 swell trains · how this is calculated
How County Line (Leo Carrillo) is breaking right now
Solved in your browser from this spot’s seafloor and current swell
What the seafloor does to this wave
A cut straight out from County Line (Leo Carrillo), solved on the real seafloor at this hour’s swell and tide.
Why County Line (Leo Carrillo) looks like this right now
The numbers above, and what each one is actually doing to the wave.
Two swells at once
3.0 ft at 15s from the S carrying 91% of the energy, plus 0.7 ft at 6s from the SW (5%).
The long-period train is the one building your wave. It holds the most energy and reaches deepest. The shorter ones cross it, which is what makes the surface look busy and the takeoff shift around. Why period matters more than height →
The seafloor is neutral here
Kr 0.91 · 92% 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 8 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 →
Wind is onshore
6 mph from the SSE, against a shoreline facing 173°.
Pushing into the back of the wave from the sea, making it crumble and break early instead of standing up. Note this is measured against the angle THIS break faces, which is why one spot can be blown out while the one round the headland is fine.
How the sets come
About one set every 4 min, roughly 12 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 →
County Line (Leo Carrillo) surf forecast, next seven days
Holding — 2.9–6.4 ft, no notable swell in the window
| Day | Surf | Best window | Swell | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-6 ft | 6am to 10amFair-Good | 3.8 ft at 13s S | 6 mph cross-shore | Low -0.4 ft 3amHigh 4.1 ft 9amLow 1.8 ft 2pmHigh 5.9 ft 8pm | |
| 3-5 ft | 6am to 11amFair-Good | 3.0 ft at 12s S | 3 mph cross-shore | Low -0.4 ft 3amHigh 4.4 ft 10amLow 1.5 ft 3pmHigh 5.8 ft 9pm | |
| 2-4 ft | 2pm to 4pmGood | 1.8 ft at 17s SSW | 13 mph cross-shore | Low -0.3 ft 4amHigh 4.6 ft 10amLow 1.3 ft 3pmHigh 5.6 ft 10pm | |
| 3-4 ft | 5pmGood | 2.4 ft at 17s SSW | 14 mph cross-shore | Low -0.0 ft 4amHigh 4.9 ft 10amLow 1.1 ft 4pmHigh 5.2 ft 10pm | |
| 3-5 ft | 5pmGood | 2.7 ft at 14s S | 14 mph cross-shore | Low 0.3 ft 5amHigh 5.1 ft 11amLow 0.9 ft 5pmHigh 4.7 ft 11pm | |
| 5-6 ft | 5pmGood | 4.1 ft at 13s S | 15 mph cross-shore | Low 0.8 ft 5amHigh 5.3 ft 11amLow 0.8 ft 6pm | |
| 4-6 ft | 11amFair-Good | 3.7 ft at 13s S | 6 mph cross-shore | 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 County Line (Leo Carrillo) works
Reef and cobble peaks where PCH meets the county line — more exposed than the Malibu points and a long-standing favourite of everyone driving between LA and Ventura.
- Bottom
- cobble reef and sand at the county line
- Best tide
- mid
- Best swell
- W–NW
- Suits
- intermediate
Common questions about County Line (Leo Carrillo)
- What is the best tide for County Line (Leo Carrillo)?
- County Line (Leo Carrillo) works best on mid 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 County Line (Leo Carrillo)?
- W–NW suits County Line (Leo Carrillo) 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 County Line (Leo Carrillo) good for beginners?
- County Line (Leo Carrillo) suits intermediate surfers, over cobble reef and sand at the county line. 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 County Line (Leo Carrillo)?
- cobble reef and sand at the county line. 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 County Line (Leo Carrillo) on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.
Nearby breaks
- Nicholas Canyon (Zeros) surf report · 4-5 ft
- Zuma Beach surf report · 4-5 ft
- Malibu (First Point) surf report · 2-3 ft
- Topanga surf report · 2-3 ft
- Las Tunas surf report · 2-3 ft