Pescadero State Beach surf report and forecast
Forecast for the selected hour
Now · 2am
4–5 ft · sets to 7
Fair-GoodBest today 7am–1pm
Swell, wind and tide line up.
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 2am readingSwell, wind, tide, breaker, energy, water
- Swell4.0 ft · 7 s · WNWSecondary: 53% of the energy. Direction at the break.
- 3.5 ft · 13 s · WMakes the wave: 40% of the energy. Direction at the break.
- 1.4 ft · 18 s · WSWSecondary: 7% of the energy. Direction at the break.
- Wind5 mph from the NNWCross-shore to a shoreline facing 275°Light
- Tide1.8 ft, risingNext high 3.9 ft at 7:04am · NAVD88, NOAA 9414131 predicted (no live sensor)
- BreakerPlungingBreaks in about 9 ft of water
- Energy492 kJHeight² × period²Punchy
- Water64° · air 60° · UV 0
High confidence.
Best window7am–1pm
Against what Pescadero State Beach 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 2amPomponio State Beach, Bean Hollow and 3 more
The break
The seafloorBeach + reef
Shallow is light, deep is dark; contours every few feet; the relief is exaggerated.
- Bottombeach + reef
- 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 this3 swells at once, the seafloor is neutral here, where it trips
Read from the current hour (today at 2am). Each number, and what it does to the wave.
3 swells at once
3.5 ft at 13s from the W carrying 40% of the energy, plus 4.0 ft at 7s from the WNW (53%), plus 1.4 ft at 18s from the WSW (7%).
The shorter, steeper train is carrying most of the energy here, so expect a choppier, less organised lineup than the longest period in the list would suggest on its own. Why period matters more than height
The seafloor is neutral here
Kr 0.96 · 90% 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
1.8 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 9 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 NNW, against a shoreline facing 275°.
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 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.
How Pescadero State Beach worksExposed peaks over beach and reef
Exposed peaks over beach and reef; the best banks sit at the north end.
- Best tidelow to mid
- Best swellSW–W
- Suitsintermediate
3 swell trains in the current hour · How this is calculated
Common questions4 questions about Pescadero State Beach
- What is the best tide for Pescadero State Beach?
- Pescadero State Beach 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 Pescadero State Beach?
- SW–W suits Pescadero State Beach 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 Pescadero State Beach good for beginners?
- Pescadero State Beach suits intermediate surfers, over beach + reef. 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 Pescadero State Beach?
- beach + reef. 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 Pescadero State Beach on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.