What is the best tide for Fort Point?

Fort Point works best on low to mid rising 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 Fort Point?

big NW–W groundswell suits Fort Point 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 Fort Point good for beginners?

Fort Point suits expert surfers, over rock/reef ledge wrapping around the EAST side of the point. 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 Fort Point?

rock/reef ledge wrapping around the EAST side of the point (bay side of the fort). 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 Fort Point on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Fort Point Surf Report & Forecast

The iconic left peeling under the Golden Gate.

2-3 ft

Fair-Good · plunging

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

Swell: 1.6 ft at 13s from the NW
Wind: 10 mph WSW cross-shore
Tide: 5.2 ft
Break depth: 4 ft
Power: 2 kW/m
Water: 59°F · 3/2 fullsuit

Updated Aug 25, 9:44 PM PDT · 2 swell trains · how this is calculated

How Fort Point is breaking right now

Loading Fort Point…

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

Why Fort Point 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 13s from the NW carrying 93% of the energy, plus 0.5 ft at 4s from the W (6%).
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 1.16 · 73% 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
5.2 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 4 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 →
The current is stacking it up
ebb running at 1.5 kt, steepening the face by about 10%.
A current running against the swell squeezes the wavelength and forces the wave up. Same swell, steeper and more hollow than it has any right to be. It is why this spot changes character with the tide instead of just changing size. How the tide moves the break →
Wind is cross-shore
10 mph from the WSW, against a shoreline facing 306°.
Running across the face rather than into or against it. Less destructive than a straight onshore, but it puts a texture on the wall and can make the peak harder to read.
How the sets come
About one set every 3 min, roughly 12 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 →

Fort Point surf forecast, next seven days

Building — ~4.1 ft long-period groundswell from the NNW filling in Sun morning (+4.3 d, medium confidence)

Seven-day surf forecast for Fort Point: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Wed, Aug 26	2-3 ft	6am to 3pmFair-Good	1.5 ft at 13s NW	7 mph cross-shore	Low -0.0 ft 5amHigh 4.9 ft 12pmLow 2.6 ft 5pmHigh 6.1 ft 11pm
Thu, Aug 27	2-3 ft	6am to 7amFair-Good	1.3 ft at 14s NW	9 mph cross-shore	Low -0.0 ft 5amHigh 5.1 ft 12pmLow 2.3 ft 5pmHigh 6.0 ft 11pm
Fri, Aug 28	2-3 ft	6am to 10amFair-Good	1.9 ft at 13s NNW	10 mph cross-shore	Low 0.1 ft 6amHigh 5.3 ft 12pmLow 1.9 ft 6pm
Sat, Aug 29	3-4 ft	8am to 5pmFair	1.8 ft at 14s NW	16 mph cross-shore	High 5.8 ft 12amLow 0.4 ft 6amHigh 5.5 ft 1pmLow 1.6 ft 6pm
Sun, Aug 30	3-4 ft	8am to 5pmFair	2.3 ft at 15s NW	16 mph cross-shore	High 5.5 ft 1amLow 0.8 ft 7amHigh 5.7 ft 1pmLow 1.2 ft 7pm
Mon, Aug 31	3-4 ft	11am to 5pmFair	2.0 ft at 14s NW	17 mph onshore	High 5.2 ft 2amLow 1.3 ft 7amHigh 5.9 ft 2pmLow 1.0 ft 8pm
Tue, Sep 1	2-3 ft	11amFair	1.8 ft at 13s NW	14 mph cross-shore	High 4.8 ft 2amLow 1.9 ft 8amHigh 6.1 ft 2pmLow 0.7 ft 9pm

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

How Fort Point works

The iconic left: a big NW/W groundswell refracts through the Gate, wraps around Fort Point and peels along the ledge on the EAST (bay) side of the point. Only breaks on a big, long-period swell; sheltered from NW wind so it's clean when Ocean Beach is blown out.

Bottom: rock/reef ledge wrapping around the EAST side of the point (bay side of the fort)
Best tide: low to mid rising
Best swell: big NW–W groundswell
Suits: expert

Common questions about Fort Point

What is the best tide for Fort Point?: Fort Point works best on low to mid rising 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 Fort Point?: big NW–W groundswell suits Fort Point 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 Fort Point good for beginners?: Fort Point suits expert surfers, over rock/reef ledge wrapping around the EAST side of the point. 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 Fort Point?: rock/reef ledge wrapping around the EAST side of the point (bay side of the fort). 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 Fort Point on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Nearby breaks

Ocean Beach — Kelly's Cove surf report · 3 ft
Ocean Beach surf report · 3-4 ft
Ocean Beach — Sloat surf report · 2-3 ft
Rodeo Beach surf report · 4-5 ft
Tennessee Cove surf report · 4-5 ft