Marina State Beach surf report and forecast
Forecast for the selected hour
Now · 2am
4–6 ft · sets to 7
FairBest today 7am–12pm
Swell lines up. Wind is the limiting factor.
The wave field solved for this hour on the real seafloor, playing forward. A model, not a camera.
Loads when it comes into view.The wave field solved for this hour on the real seafloor, playing forward. A model, not a camera.
This hour
The 2am readingSwell, wind, tide, breaker, energy, water
- Swell3.7 ft · 12 s · WNWMakes the wave: 68% of the energy. Direction at the break.
- 2.5 ft · 7 s · WNWSecondary: 30% of the energy. Direction at the break.
- Wind14 mph from the NWOnshore to a shoreline facing 282°Strong
- Tide1.2 ft, risingNext high 4.1 ft at 7:44am · NAVD88, NOAA 9413450 observed
- BreakerSpillingBreaks in about 9 ft of water
- Energy250 kJHeight² × period²Punchy
- Water65° · air 58° · UV 0
High confidence.
Best window7am–12pm
Against what Marina State Beach likesWhy it is Fair, not Fair-Good
Preferred tide and swell are surfer-consensus notes for this spot, not yet reviewed against measurements. Wind is judged by the general rule (light or offshore helps). No percent match: these are plain states and reasons.
Nearby at 2amAsilomar State Beach, Moss Landing State Beach and 3 more
The break
The seafloorSand (steep beach, heavy shorebreak)
Shallow is light, deep is dark; contours every few feet; the relief is exaggerated.
- Bottomsand (steep beach, heavy shorebreak)
- DepthCUDEM 1/9 arc-second (2023), relative to NAVD88. Depth shown is below the selected hour’s tide.
- CoverageRock reef and headland shapes resolve well. Nearshore sandbars are interpolated flat in this dataset, so a beachbreak’s bar is not in the picture. A tile’s year is its publication, not the survey date.
Why it breaks like thisTwo swells at once, the seafloor is neutral here, where it trips
Read from the current hour (today at 2am). Each number, and what it does to the wave.
Two swells at once
3.7 ft at 12s from the WNW carrying 68% of the energy, plus 2.5 ft at 7s from the WNW (30%).
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 0.99 · 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
1.2 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 9 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
14 mph from the NW, against a shoreline facing 282°.
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 1 min, roughly 6 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.
How Marina State Beach worksA very steep beach that turns swell into a short, violent…
A very steep beach that turns swell into a short, violent shorebreak. Serious drownings happen here. Experienced surfers only, and rarely worth it.
- Best tidemid to high
- Best swellW–NW
- Suitsexpert
2 swell trains in the current hour · How this is calculated
Common questions4 questions about Marina State Beach
- What is the best tide for Marina State Beach?
- Marina State Beach 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 Marina State Beach?
- W–NW suits Marina State Beach 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 Marina State Beach good for beginners?
- Marina State Beach suits expert 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 Marina State Beach?
- sand (steep beach, heavy shorebreak). 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 Marina State Beach on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.