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 and forecast

Reef breakSan Francisco, CAForecast 12:47pm

Forecast for the selected hour

Now · 3pm

2–3 ft · sets to 4

Fair-GoodBest today 4–7pm

Swell lines up. The tide is the limiting factor.

3-hourlyGlobal model6-hourly

Hour by hour · TodaySunrise 7:20 · tap an hour

SurfftWindmphTideftSwells · from

Best

sunset 6:29

Model, not a camera ·Today 3pm PDT

Open on the map

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 3pm readingSwell, wind, tide, breaker, energy, water

Swell1.7 ft · 13 s · NWMakes the wave: 57% of the energy. Direction at the break.
1.4 ft · 9 s · NWSecondary: 37% of the energy. Direction at the break.
Wind8 mph from the WOnshore to a shoreline facing 306°Moderate
Tide4.8 ft, risingNext high 5.0 ft at 4:10pm · NAVD88, NOAA 9414290 observed
BreakerPlungingBreaks in about 5 ft of water
Energy80 kJHeight² × period²Moderate
Water61° · air 69° · UV 3
Currentflood 0.4 ktFlattening the face by about 2%

High confidence.

Best window4–7pm

Against what Fort Point likesWhy it is Fair-Good, not 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 3pmOcean Beach — Kelly's Cove, Ocean Beach and 3 more

Compare on the map

The break

The seafloorRock/reef ledge wrapping around the EAST side of the point (bay side of the fort)

Loading the seafloor under Fort Point…

Open the seafloor on the map

Shallow is light, deep is dark; contours every few feet; the relief is exaggerated.

Bottomrock/reef ledge wrapping around the EAST side of the point (bay side of the fort)
DepthCUDEM 1/9 arc-second (2022), 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 focuses it, where it trips

Read from the current hour (today at 3pm). Each number, and what it does to the wave.

Two swells at once
1.7 ft at 13s from the NW carrying 57% of the energy, plus 1.4 ft at 9s from the NW (37%).
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 1.07 · 65% 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
4.8 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
8 mph from the W, against a shoreline facing 306°.
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 2 min, roughly 9 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 Fort Point worksThe iconic left

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.

Best tidelow to mid rising
Best swellbig NW–W groundswell
Suitsexpert

2 swell trains in the current hour · How this is calculated

Common questions4 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.