What is the best tide for Bolsa Chica?

Bolsa Chica 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 Bolsa Chica?

S–SW or W suits Bolsa Chica 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 Bolsa Chica good for beginners?

Bolsa Chica 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 Bolsa Chica?

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 Bolsa Chica on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Bolsa Chica Surf Report & Forecast

Miles of uncrowded sand north of Huntington.

3-4 ftmax ~5 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: 2.6 ft at 13s from the SSW
Wind: 5 mph S onshore
Tide: 3.9 ft
Break depth: 6 ft
Power: 4 kW/m
Water: 75°F · trunks

Updated Aug 25, 9:44 PM PDT · 1 swell train · how this is calculated

How Bolsa Chica is breaking right now

Loading Bolsa Chica…

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

Why Bolsa Chica looks like this right now

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

One swell, uncrossed
2.6 ft at 13s from the SSW and nothing significant crossing it.
A single train is the cleanest case there is: the sets arrive from one angle, so the peak should sit in the same place each time instead of wandering. Why period matters more than height →
The seafloor is neutral here
Kr 0.94 · 86% 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
3.9 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 6 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 S, against a shoreline facing 232°.
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 1 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 →

Bolsa Chica surf forecast, next seven days

Building — ~5 ft mid-period swell from the SSW filling in Wed morning (+12 h, high confidence)

Seven-day surf forecast for Bolsa Chica: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Wed, Aug 26	4-5 ft	6am to 10amFair-Good	3.5 ft at 13s SSW	3 mph cross-shore	Low -0.5 ft 3amHigh 4.1 ft 9amLow 1.8 ft 2pmHigh 5.8 ft 8pm
Thu, Aug 27	3-4 ft	6am to 10amFair	2.8 ft at 11s SSW	3 mph cross-shore	Low -0.5 ft 3amHigh 4.4 ft 10amLow 1.5 ft 3pmHigh 5.8 ft 9pm
Fri, Aug 28	2-3 ft	6am to 10amFair	2.0 ft at 9s SSW	2 mph cross-shore	Low -0.4 ft 4amHigh 4.6 ft 10amLow 1.2 ft 3pmHigh 5.6 ft 10pm
Sat, Aug 29	2-3 ft	8am to 5pmFair	1.7 ft at 8s SW	5 mph cross-shore	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	1.5 ft at 15s SSW	8 mph onshore	Low 0.3 ft 4amHigh 5.1 ft 11amLow 0.8 ft 5pmHigh 4.6 ft 11pm
Mon, Aug 31	3-4 ft	11amFair	2.8 ft at 13s SSW	8 mph onshore	Low 0.7 ft 5amHigh 5.3 ft 11amLow 0.8 ft 6pm
Tue, Sep 1	3-4 ft	11amFair	2.8 ft at 13s SSW	7 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 Bolsa Chica works

A long state beach north of the Huntington cliffs — the same swell as HB but spread over enough sand that you can usually find an empty peak.

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

Common questions about Bolsa Chica

What is the best tide for Bolsa Chica?: Bolsa Chica 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 Bolsa Chica?: S–SW or W suits Bolsa Chica 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 Bolsa Chica good for beginners?: Bolsa Chica 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 Bolsa Chica?: 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 Bolsa Chica on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Nearby breaks

Huntington Beach Pier surf report · 4-5 ft
Seal Beach Pier surf report · 2-3 ft
Newport Beach (56th Street) surf report · 4-5 ft
Blackies (Newport) surf report · 1-2 ft
Brooks Street (Laguna) surf report · 3-4 ft