Sunset Cliffs Surf Report & Forecast
A string of reefs under the cliffs at Point Loma.
Current conditions
2-3 ftmax ~4 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
- 1.6 ft at 17s from the WSW
- Wind
- 6 mph W onshore
- Tide
- 3.4 ft
- Break depth
- 5 ft
- Power
- 2 kW/m
- Water
- 78°F · trunks
Updated Aug 25, 3:43 PM PDT · 2 swell trains · how this is calculated
How Sunset Cliffs 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 Sunset Cliffs, solved on the real seafloor at this hour’s swell and tide.
Why Sunset Cliffs looks like this right now
The numbers above, and what each one is actually doing to the wave.
Two swells at once
1.6 ft at 17s from the WSW carrying 80% of the energy, plus 0.8 ft at 6s from the W (20%).
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 focuses it
Kr 1.22 · 75% of modelled rays break.
Contours underneath are bending wave energy together into a band. That concentration is the peak, and it's why this spot can be noticeably bigger than its neighbours on the same swell. Why two breaks a mile apart differ →
Where it trips
3.4 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 5 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 W, against a shoreline facing 264°.
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 →
Sunset Cliffs surf forecast, next seven days
Building — ~4.3 ft long-period groundswell from the WSW filling in Sun morning (+4.5 d, medium confidence)
| Day | Surf | Best window | Swell | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-3 ft | 6pm to 7pmFair | 1.6 ft at 17s WSW | 5 mph onshore | Low -0.5 ft 2amHigh 4.0 ft 9amLow 1.8 ft 2pmHigh 5.8 ft 8pm | |
| 2-3 ft | 6am to 9amFair-Good | 1.9 ft at 17s WSW | 2 mph offshore | Low -0.6 ft 3amHigh 4.2 ft 9amLow 1.5 ft 2pmHigh 5.9 ft 8pm | |
| 2-4 ft | 6am to 7amFair | 1.9 ft at 14s WSW | 2 mph cross-shore | Low -0.7 ft 3amHigh 4.5 ft 9amLow 1.2 ft 3pmHigh 5.9 ft 9pm | |
| 2-4 ft | 6am to 8amFair | 1.7 ft at 18s WSW | 2 mph onshore | Low -0.6 ft 4amHigh 4.7 ft 10amLow 0.9 ft 3pmHigh 5.7 ft 9pm | |
| 3-4 ft | 8am to 11amFair | 2.3 ft at 18s WSW | 3 mph onshore | Low -0.3 ft 4amHigh 5.0 ft 10amLow 0.7 ft 4pmHigh 5.3 ft 10pm | |
| 3-4 ft | 8am to 5pmFair | 2.6 ft at 15s WSW | 6 mph onshore | Low 0.0 ft 4amHigh 5.2 ft 11amLow 0.6 ft 5pmHigh 4.7 ft 11pm | |
| 3 ft | 11amPoor-Fair | 1.9 ft at 14s WSW | 8 mph onshore | Low 0.5 ft 5amHigh 5.3 ft 11amLow 0.6 ft 6pm |
Daylight hours only. The best window is the run of hours the model rates highest that day.
How Sunset Cliffs works
Reefs strung along the base of the Point Loma cliffs — proper waves that get very good on a winter W/NW, with a cliff descent and a tide window that punish carelessness.
- Bottom
- sandstone reef below the cliffs
- Best tide
- mid to high
- Best swell
- W–NW groundswell
- Suits
- advanced
Common questions about Sunset Cliffs
- What is the best tide for Sunset Cliffs?
- Sunset Cliffs 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 Sunset Cliffs?
- W–NW groundswell suits Sunset Cliffs 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 Sunset Cliffs good for beginners?
- Sunset Cliffs suits advanced surfers, over sandstone reef below the cliffs. 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 Sunset Cliffs?
- sandstone reef below the cliffs. 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 Sunset Cliffs on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.
Nearby breaks
- Ocean Beach (San Diego) surf report · 2-3 ft
- Mission Beach surf report · 2 ft
- Tourmaline Surfing Park surf report · 2-3 ft
- Bird Rock surf report · 2-3 ft
- Windansea surf report · 2-3 ft