What is the best tide for Lower Trestles?

Lower Trestles 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 Lower Trestles?

S–SW in summer, W–NW in winter suits Lower Trestles 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 Lower Trestles good for beginners?

Lower Trestles suits advanced surfers, over cobblestone point / rivermouth delta. 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 Lower Trestles?

cobblestone point / rivermouth delta. 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 Lower Trestles on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Lower Trestles Surf Report & Forecast

The best high-performance wave on the mainland US.

3-4 ftmax ~5 ft

Fair-Good · spilling

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

Swell: 2.8 ft at 13s from the SSW
Wind: 1 mph SE cross-shore
Tide: 3.7 ft
Break depth: 7 ft
Power: 5 kW/m
Water: 77°F · trunks

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

How Lower Trestles is breaking right now

Loading Lower Trestles…

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

Why Lower Trestles looks like this right now

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

One swell, uncrossed
2.8 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 1.01 · 76% 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
3.7 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 7 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
1 mph from the SE, against a shoreline facing 202°.
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 →

Lower Trestles surf forecast, next seven days

Building — ~5.7 ft long-period groundswell from the SSW filling in Tue morning (+6.3 d, low confidence)

Seven-day surf forecast for Lower Trestles: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Wed, Aug 26	4-5 ft	6am to 9amFair-Good	3.4 ft at 13s SSW	1 mph offshore	Low -0.4 ft 3amHigh 4.1 ft 9amLow 1.7 ft 2pmHigh 5.8 ft 8pm
Thu, Aug 27	4-5 ft	6am to 9amFair-Good	3.2 ft at 11s SSW	2 mph cross-shore	Low -0.4 ft 3amHigh 4.3 ft 9amLow 1.5 ft 3pmHigh 5.8 ft 9pm
Fri, Aug 28	2-4 ft	4pm to 7pmFair-Good	2.0 ft at 18s SW	7 mph cross-shore	Low -0.3 ft 4amHigh 4.6 ft 10amLow 1.2 ft 3pmHigh 5.6 ft 9pm
Sat, Aug 29	3-4 ft	8am to 5pmFair-Good	2.5 ft at 18s SW	3 mph onshore	Low -0.0 ft 4amHigh 4.8 ft 10amLow 1.0 ft 4pmHigh 5.2 ft 10pm
Sun, Aug 30	4-5 ft	8am to 5pmFair	3.1 ft at 15s SW	6 mph onshore	Low 0.3 ft 4amHigh 5.1 ft 11amLow 0.9 ft 5pmHigh 4.6 ft 11pm
Mon, Aug 31	4-5 ft	5pmFair-Good	3.6 ft at 14s SSW	8 mph cross-shore	Low 0.8 ft 5amHigh 5.2 ft 11amLow 0.8 ft 6pmHigh 4.0 ft 11pm
Tue, Sep 1	4-6 ft	11amFair	3.9 ft at 13s SSW	8 mph cross-shore	Low 1.3 ft 5amHigh 5.3 ft 12pmLow 0.9 ft 7pm

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

How Lower Trestles works

A cobblestone delta built by San Mateo Creek makes an almost machine-perfect A-frame — the left and right both run long and rippable. Contest venue for a reason, and crowded to match.

Bottom: cobblestone point / rivermouth delta
Best tide: mid
Best swell: S–SW in summer, W–NW in winter
Suits: advanced

Common questions about Lower Trestles

What is the best tide for Lower Trestles?: Lower Trestles 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 Lower Trestles?: S–SW in summer, W–NW in winter suits Lower Trestles 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 Lower Trestles good for beginners?: Lower Trestles suits advanced surfers, over cobblestone point / rivermouth delta. 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 Lower Trestles?: cobblestone point / rivermouth delta. 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 Lower Trestles on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Nearby breaks

Upper Trestles surf report · 3-4 ft
San Onofre (Old Man's) surf report · 3-4 ft
Church surf report · 3-4 ft
Oceanside Pier surf report · 3-4 ft
Ponto (South Carlsbad) surf report · 3-4 ft