What is the best tide for Rio Del Mar?

Rio Del Mar 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 Rio Del Mar?

S–SW suits Rio Del Mar 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 Rio Del Mar good for beginners?

Rio Del Mar suits intermediate surfers, over sand at the Aptos Creek mouth. 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 Rio Del Mar?

sand at the Aptos Creek mouth. 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 Rio Del Mar on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Rio Del Mar Surf Report & Forecast

Wide sand beach at the creek mouth.

2-3 ft

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: 1.4 ft at 17s from the SW
Wind: 0 mph ESE cross-shore
Tide: 5.1 ft
Break depth: 4 ft
Power: 2 kW/m
Water: 60°F · 3/2 fullsuit

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

How Rio Del Mar is breaking right now

Loading Rio Del Mar…

Live · Rio Del Mar, solving nowOpen Rio Del Mar 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 Rio Del Mar, solved on the real seafloor at this hour’s swell and tide.

Why Rio Del Mar looks like this right now

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

Two swells at once
1.4 ft at 17s from the SW carrying 81% of the energy, plus 0.7 ft at 11s from the SSW (17%).
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 is neutral here
Kr 0.98 · 92% 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
5.1 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 →
Barely any wind
0 mph from the ESE, against a shoreline facing 206°.
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 2 min, roughly 8 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 →

Rio Del Mar surf forecast, next seven days

Holding — 2.4–3.3 ft, no notable swell in the window

Seven-day surf forecast for Rio Del Mar: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Wed, Aug 26	2-3 ft	6am to 8amGood	1.6 ft at 15s SW	2 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	2pm to 7pmGood	1.9 ft at 14s SSW	2 mph cross-shore	Low 0.0 ft 4amHigh 4.4 ft 11amLow 2.3 ft 4pmHigh 5.7 ft 10pm
Fri, Aug 28	2-3 ft	6am to 10amFair-Good	2.0 ft at 13s SSW	5 mph cross-shore	Low 0.2 ft 5amHigh 4.7 ft 11amLow 2.0 ft 5pmHigh 5.5 ft 11pm
Sat, Aug 29	2-3 ft	8amGood	1.5 ft at 15s SSW	2 mph cross-shore	Low 0.5 ft 5amHigh 4.9 ft 12pmLow 1.7 ft 6pmHigh 5.1 ft 11pm
Sun, Aug 30	2-3 ft	8amGood	1.5 ft at 15s SSW	2 mph cross-shore	Low 0.9 ft 6amHigh 5.2 ft 12pmLow 1.4 ft 6pm
Mon, Aug 31	2-3 ft	11am to 5pmFair-Good	1.5 ft at 14s SSW	6 mph cross-shore	High 4.7 ft 12amLow 1.4 ft 6amHigh 5.4 ft 1pmLow 1.2 ft 7pm
Tue, Sep 1	2 ft	11amFair-Good	1.3 ft at 13s SSW	5 mph cross-shore	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 Rio Del Mar works

Sandbars by the Aptos Creek mouth and the old cement-ship pier — an easy, open beach break that works through the summer south season.

Bottom: sand at the Aptos Creek mouth
Best tide: low to mid
Best swell: S–SW
Suits: intermediate

Common questions about Rio Del Mar

What is the best tide for Rio Del Mar?: Rio Del Mar 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 Rio Del Mar?: S–SW suits Rio Del Mar 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 Rio Del Mar good for beginners?: Rio Del Mar suits intermediate surfers, over sand at the Aptos Creek mouth. 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 Rio Del Mar?: sand at the Aptos Creek mouth. 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 Rio Del Mar on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.