What is the best tide for 26th Avenue?

26th Avenue 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 26th Avenue?

S–SW swell suits 26th Avenue 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 26th Avenue good for beginners?

26th Avenue suits beginner-intermediate surfers, over sand beach break. 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 26th Avenue?

sand beach break (shifts, like OB). 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 26th Avenue on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

26th Avenue Surf Report & Forecast

Shifting sand beach break just up from Pleasure Point — the sand control next to the reefs.

2-3 ftmax ~4 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: 1.7 ft at 17s from the SSW
Wind: 1 mph SSE cross-shore
Tide: 5.1 ft
Break depth: 5 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 26th Avenue is breaking right now

Loading 26th Avenue…

Live · 26th Avenue, solving nowOpen 26th Avenue 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 26th Avenue, solved on the real seafloor at this hour’s swell and tide.

Why 26th Avenue looks like this right now

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

One swell, uncrossed
1.7 ft at 17s from the SSW 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 →
The seafloor is neutral here
Kr 1.01 · 88% 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 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 →
Barely any wind
1 mph from the SSE, against a shoreline facing 211°.
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 4 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 →

26th Avenue surf forecast, next seven days

Holding — 2.4–4 ft, no notable swell in the window

Seven-day surf forecast for 26th Avenue: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Wed, Aug 26	2-3 ft	6am to 9amGood	1.6 ft at 17s SSW	3 mph offshore	Low 0.0 ft 4amHigh 4.2 ft 11amLow 2.5 ft 3pmHigh 5.8 ft 9pm
Thu, Aug 27	2-3 ft	6am to 9amGood	1.6 ft at 15s SSW	2 mph offshore	Low 0.0 ft 4amHigh 4.4 ft 11amLow 2.3 ft 4pmHigh 5.7 ft 10pm
Fri, Aug 28	3-4 ft	6am to 10amGood	2.1 ft at 14s S	2 mph cross-shore	Low 0.2 ft 5amHigh 4.7 ft 11amLow 2.0 ft 5pmHigh 5.5 ft 11pm
Sat, Aug 29	3-4 ft	8am to 5pmGood	2.2 ft at 14s SSW	3 mph cross-shore	Low 0.5 ft 5amHigh 4.9 ft 12pmLow 1.7 ft 6pmHigh 5.1 ft 11pm
Sun, Aug 30	3-4 ft	8amGood	2.5 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	5pmFair-Good	1.8 ft at 14s SSW	14 mph cross-shore	High 4.7 ft 12amLow 1.4 ft 6amHigh 5.4 ft 1pmLow 1.2 ft 7pm
Tue, Sep 1	2-3 ft	11amFair-Good	1.5 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 26th Avenue works

Mellow beach-break peaks a stone's throw from Pleasure Point. Same swell, sand bottom — the honest A/B against the reef.

Bottom: sand beach break (shifts, like OB)
Best tide: low to mid
Best swell: S–SW swell
Suits: beginner-intermediate

Common questions about 26th Avenue

What is the best tide for 26th Avenue?: 26th Avenue 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 26th Avenue?: S–SW swell suits 26th Avenue 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 26th Avenue good for beginners?: 26th Avenue suits beginner-intermediate surfers, over sand beach break. 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 26th Avenue?: sand beach break (shifts, like OB). 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 26th Avenue on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Nearby breaks

Moran Lake (Rockview) surf report · 3-4 ft
Sewer Peak surf report · 3 ft
Pleasure Point surf report · 2-3 ft
Sunny Cove surf report · 3-4 ft
Second Peak surf report · 2-3 ft