What is the best tide for Hermosa Pier?

Hermosa Pier works best on low to 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 Hermosa Pier?

W–NW or S–SW suits Hermosa Pier 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 Hermosa Pier good for beginners?

Hermosa Pier suits intermediate surfers, over sand. 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 Hermosa Pier?

sand (seasonal bars). 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 Hermosa Pier on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Hermosa Pier Surf Report & Forecast

Punchy South Bay sandbars.

2 ftmax ~3 ft

Fair · plunging

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

Swell: 1.1 ft at 17s from the SW
Wind: 7 mph WSW onshore
Tide: 5.7 ft
Break depth: 3 ft
Power: 2 kW/m
Water: 74°F · trunks

Updated Aug 25, 6:42 PM PDT · 3 swell trains · how this is calculated

How Hermosa Pier is breaking right now

Loading Hermosa Pier…

Live · Hermosa Pier, solving nowOpen Hermosa Pier 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 Hermosa Pier, solved on the real seafloor at this hour’s swell and tide.

Why Hermosa Pier looks like this right now

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

3 swells at once
1.1 ft at 17s from the SW carrying 54% of the energy, plus 0.9 ft at 6s from the W (33%), plus 0.6 ft at 12s from the SW (13%).
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 0.96 · 88% 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
5.7 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 3 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
7 mph from the WSW, against a shoreline facing 253°.
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 3 min, roughly 11 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 →

Hermosa Pier surf forecast, next 6 days

Building — ~3 ft short-period windswell from the W filling in Sun morning (+4.3 d, medium confidence)

Seven-day surf forecast for Hermosa Pier: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Wed, Aug 26	2-3 ft	6am to 10amGood	1.5 ft at 15s SW	2 mph cross-shore	Low -0.5 ft 3amHigh 4.1 ft 9amLow 1.8 ft 2pmHigh 5.8 ft 8pm
Thu, Aug 27	2-3 ft	6am to 10amGood	1.1 ft at 14s WSW	2 mph cross-shore	Low -0.5 ft 3amHigh 4.4 ft 10amLow 1.5 ft 3pmHigh 5.8 ft 9pm
Fri, Aug 28	2 ft	6am to 7amFair-Good	1.3 ft at 13s WSW	2 mph cross-shore	Low -0.4 ft 4amHigh 4.6 ft 10amLow 1.2 ft 3pmHigh 5.6 ft 10pm
Sat, Aug 29	1-2 ft	11amFair-Good	1.1 ft at 13s SW	6 mph onshore	Low -0.1 ft 4amHigh 4.9 ft 10amLow 1.0 ft 4pmHigh 5.2 ft 10pm
Sun, Aug 30	2-3 ft	8am to 11amFair-Good	2.1 ft at 7s W	5 mph offshore	Low 0.3 ft 4amHigh 5.1 ft 11amLow 0.8 ft 5pmHigh 4.6 ft 11pm
Mon, Aug 31	2 ft	8amFair-Good	1.2 ft at 14s SW	3 mph cross-shore	Low 0.7 ft 5amHigh 5.3 ft 11amLow 0.8 ft 6pm

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

How Hermosa Pier works

Shifting peaks along Hermosa's beach either side of the pier — a touch punchier than Manhattan and every bit as social.

Bottom: sand (seasonal bars)
Best tide: low to mid
Best swell: W–NW or S–SW
Suits: intermediate

Common questions about Hermosa Pier

What is the best tide for Hermosa Pier?: Hermosa Pier works best on low to 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 Hermosa Pier?: W–NW or S–SW suits Hermosa Pier 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 Hermosa Pier good for beginners?: Hermosa Pier suits intermediate surfers, over sand. 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 Hermosa Pier?: sand (seasonal bars). 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 Hermosa Pier on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Nearby breaks

Manhattan Beach Pier surf report · 2-3 ft
El Porto (Manhattan Beach) surf report · 2-3 ft
Torrance Beach surf report · shorebreak only
Haggertys surf report · 2-3 ft
Lunada Bay surf report · 2 ft