What is the best tide for Cowell's?

Cowell's works best on all tides 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 Cowell's?

W–NW that wraps the point suits Cowell's 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 Cowell's good for beginners?

Cowell's suits beginner surfers, over sand + reef in the lee 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 Cowell's?

sand + reef in the lee of the point (stable). 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 Cowell's on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Cowell's Surf Report & Forecast

The friendliest wave in Santa Cruz.

2 ftmax ~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: 1.9 ft at 13s from the S
Wind: 1 mph E onshore
Tide: 5.1 ft
Break depth: 3 ft
Power: 2 kW/m
Water: 60°F · 3/2 fullsuit

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

How Cowell's is breaking right now

Loading Cowell's…

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

Why Cowell's looks like this right now

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

One swell, uncrossed
1.9 ft at 13s from the S 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 →
It bends on the way in
That swell leaves deep water heading 192° and reaches the break at 174°, bent 18° on the way.
Shallow water slows a wave, so the end of the crest that reaches the shallows first swings around. That is refraction. It's why this spot can be working on a swell direction the open coast is missing, and why the swell angle on a buoy is never the angle at your break. Why two breaks a mile apart differ →
The seafloor spreads it
Kr 0.77 · 69% of modelled rays break.
Energy is fanning outwards over the bottom here, so the wave arrives smaller than the open-ocean swell height suggests. Nothing is wrong with the forecast. The seafloor took the difference. Why two breaks a mile apart differ →
Where it trips
5.1 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 3 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 E, against a shoreline facing 112°.
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 1 min, roughly 7 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 →

Cowell's surf forecast, next seven days

Holding — 1.9–2.8 ft, no notable swell in the window

Seven-day surf forecast for Cowell's: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Wed, Aug 26	2 ft	6am to 4pmGood	1.8 ft at 15s S	0 mph cross-shore	Low 0.0 ft 4amHigh 4.2 ft 11amLow 2.5 ft 3pmHigh 5.8 ft 9pm
Thu, Aug 27	2-3 ft	8am to 7pmGood	2.1 ft at 14s S	7 mph offshore	Low 0.0 ft 4amHigh 4.4 ft 11amLow 2.3 ft 4pmHigh 5.7 ft 10pm
Fri, Aug 28	2 ft	6am to 7pmGood	1.8 ft at 11s S	8 mph offshore	Low 0.2 ft 5amHigh 4.7 ft 11amLow 2.0 ft 5pmHigh 5.5 ft 11pm
Sat, Aug 29	2-3 ft	11am to 5pmGood	2.1 ft at 17s S	9 mph offshore	Low 0.5 ft 5amHigh 4.9 ft 12pmLow 1.7 ft 6pmHigh 5.1 ft 11pm
Sun, Aug 30	2-3 ft	11am to 5pmGood	2.2 ft at 15s S	10 mph offshore	Low 0.9 ft 6amHigh 5.2 ft 12pmLow 1.4 ft 6pm
Mon, Aug 31	2 ft	11am to 5pmGood	1.8 ft at 14s S	11 mph offshore	High 4.7 ft 12amLow 1.4 ft 6amHigh 5.4 ft 1pmLow 1.2 ft 7pm
Tue, Sep 1	2-3 ft	11amGood	2.4 ft at 14s S	6 mph offshore	High 4.2 ft 1amLow 1.9 ft 7amHigh 5.6 ft 1pmLow 1.0 ft 8pm

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

How Cowell's works

Long, soft, forgiving longboard rollers tucked behind Lighthouse Point. Where everyone learns.

Bottom: sand + reef in the lee of the point (stable)
Best tide: all tides
Best swell: W–NW that wraps the point
Suits: beginner

Common questions about Cowell's

What is the best tide for Cowell's?: Cowell's works best on all tides 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 Cowell's?: W–NW that wraps the point suits Cowell's 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 Cowell's good for beginners?: Cowell's suits beginner surfers, over sand + reef in the lee 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 Cowell's?: sand + reef in the lee of the point (stable). 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 Cowell's on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Nearby breaks

Steamer Lane surf report · 2-3 ft
Stockton Avenue surf report · 3-4 ft
Twin Lakes / Seabright surf report · 2-3 ft
Mitchell's Cove surf report · 3 ft
Sunny Cove surf report · 3-4 ft