South Beach surf report and forecast
Forecast for the selected hour
Now · 11am
1–2 ft
FairBest today 12–6pm
Wind is the limiting factor.
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 11am readingSwell, wind, tide, breaker, energy, water
- Swell7.1 ft · 8 s · NNEMakes the wave: 100% of the energy. Direction at the break.
- Wind24 mph from the NECross-shore to a shoreline facing 108°Gale
- Tide-0.7 ft, risingNext high 0.3 ft at 2:42pm · NAVD88, NOAA 8723170 predicted (no live sensor)
- BreakerSpillingBreaks in about 2 ft of water
- Energy283 kJHeight² × period²Punchy
- Water85° · air 81° · UV 2
High confidence.
Best window12–6pm
Against what South Beach likesWhy it is Fair, not Fair-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 11amReef Road, South Jetty and 3 more
The break
The seafloorSand, with a groin at the south end
Shallow is light, deep is dark; contours every few feet; the relief is exaggerated.
- Bottomsand, with a groin at the south end
- DepthCUDEM 1/9 arc-second (2018), 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 thisOne swell, uncrossed, the seafloor spreads it, where it trips
Read from the current hour (today at 11am). Each number, and what it does to the wave.
One swell, uncrossed
7.1 ft at 8s from the NNE 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 spreads it
Kr 0.67 · 67% 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
-0.7 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 2 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
24 mph from the NE, against a shoreline facing 108°.
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 South Beach worksThe Bahama Banks sit directly offshore and block almost…
The Bahama Banks sit directly offshore and block almost everything from the east and southeast, so Miami Beach only breaks on a strong northeast wind swell or the near miss of a hurricane. When it does, the groins at the south end hold a short, playful peak. Any forecast here that promises more than waist-high is lying.
- Best tidemid
- Best swellNE windswell
- Suitsbeginner
1 swell train in the current hour · How this is calculated
Common questions4 questions about South Beach
- What is the best tide for South Beach?
- South Beach works best on 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 South Beach?
- NE windswell suits South 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 South Beach good for beginners?
- South Beach suits beginner surfers, over sand, with a groin at the south end. 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 South Beach?
- sand, with a groin at the south end. 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 South Beach on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.