What is the best tide for Sunset State Beach?

Sunset 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 Sunset State Beach?

S–SW groundswell suits Sunset 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 Sunset State Beach good for beginners?

Sunset State Beach suits intermediate surfers, over sand. 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 Sunset State Beach?

sand (seasonal bars). 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 Sunset State Beach on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Sunset State Beach Surf Report & Forecast

Empty dune-backed peaks south of Manresa.

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: 1.2 ft at 15s from the SW
Wind: 7 mph SE cross-shore
Tide: 4.0 ft
Break depth: 3 ft
Power: 2 kW/m
Water: 61°F · 3/2 fullsuit

Updated Aug 25, 3:43 PM PDT · 2 swell trains · how this is calculated

How Sunset State Beach is breaking right now

Loading Sunset State Beach…

Live · Sunset State Beach, solving nowOpen Sunset State Beach 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 Sunset State Beach, solved on the real seafloor at this hour’s swell and tide.

Why Sunset State Beach looks like this right now

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

Two swells at once
1.2 ft at 15s from the SW carrying 46% of the energy, plus 1.3 ft at 5s from the W (53%).
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 0.96 · 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
4.0 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 →
Wind is cross-shore
7 mph from the SE, against a shoreline facing 243°.
Running across the face rather than into or against it. Less destructive than a straight onshore, but it puts a texture on the wall and can make the peak harder to read.
How the sets come
About one set every 1 min, roughly 6 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 →

Sunset State Beach surf forecast, next seven days

Holding — 2.3–2.9 ft, no notable swell in the window

Seven-day surf forecast for Sunset State Beach: wave height, best window, swell, wind and tide.
Day	Surf	Best window	Swell	Wind	Tide
Tue, Aug 25	2 ft	6pm to 7pmGood	1.2 ft at 15s SW	10 mph cross-shore	Low 0.1 ft 4amHigh 4.1 ft 10amLow 2.8 ft 3pmHigh 5.8 ft 9pm
Wed, Aug 26	2-3 ft	6am to 10amGood	1.5 ft at 17s 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	6am to 10amGood	1.6 ft at 15s SW	1 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 1pmFair-Good	1.5 ft at 13s SW	6 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	8am to 11amFair-Good	1.5 ft at 15s SW	3 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	1.4 ft at 15s SW	2 mph cross-shore	Low 0.9 ft 6amHigh 5.2 ft 12pmLow 1.4 ft 6pm
Mon, Aug 31	2-3 ft	11amFair	1.4 ft at 14s SW	7 mph onshore	High 4.7 ft 12amLow 1.4 ft 6amHigh 5.4 ft 1pmLow 1.2 ft 7pm

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

How Sunset State Beach works

The quiet end of the north shore — dunes, no crowd, and peaks that reward whoever bothers to walk. Same sandbar lottery as Manresa.

Bottom: sand (seasonal bars)
Best tide: low to mid
Best swell: S–SW groundswell
Suits: intermediate

Common questions about Sunset State Beach

What is the best tide for Sunset State Beach?: Sunset 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 Sunset State Beach?: S–SW groundswell suits Sunset 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 Sunset State Beach good for beginners?: Sunset State Beach suits intermediate surfers, over sand. 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 Sunset State Beach?: sand (seasonal bars). 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 Sunset State Beach on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.