A board check, an offshore swell view and a camera check are different jobs. Pick the tool that answers today’s question, and keep a second one handy when the first runs out.
| Service | Free access | Useful for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lineup Report | Everything. No ads, no account, no paid tier and no app to download: it’s a website you can save to your home screen, no app store needed. | A quick check of 31 SoCal spots, with separate longboard and shortboard ratings. | SoCal only. No cams of its own (it links free ones) and no human reports. |
| Surf-Forecast | Spot forecasts worldwide, with ads. Premium adds 16 days, hourly detail and no ads. See current options. | Spots far outside SoCal and planning a surf trip. | Its star ratings cover the surf in general, not a particular board. |
| Quiver | Free on the web for the beaches it covers: reports, tides and swell. Pro lives in the app. See current options. | A beach-by-beach call and logging your sessions. | Board picks and more than three saved beaches come with Pro. |
| Surf Captain | A five-day forecast, with ads. Pro reaches 16 days. See current options. | A fast size, wind and tide look at US spots. | The longer range and ad-free viewing are paid. |
| Windy | Wind, wave and swell maps in the browser and the app. Premium adds finer time steps and more updates. See current options. | Watching the wind and following a swell across the Pacific. | A weather tool: it maps open-ocean waves, not how a break will surf. |
| CDIP / 17ft | All of it. CDIP is Scripps’ public buoy program; 17ft puts buoys, wind, tides and marine forecasts on one page. | Reading the buoys yourself and checking the nearshore swell model. | Data tools: you read the numbers and make the call. Lineup’s forecast uses CDIP too. |
| WaveCast | The full SoCal write-up, kept going by reader donations. | A forecaster’s read on which storms will send swell to SoCal, and when. | Regional, not spot by spot. New posts most Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. |
Surfline
Surfline runs its own worldwide cam network and posts forecaster reports for the spots it covers. From September 29, 2026, its live cams need a Premium membership. Forecasts, reports, buoys and tides stay free.
For a side-by-side look, see Lineup vs Surfline.
Duune
Duune is a SoCal forecast from Duune Crew, on the web and as an iPhone app, with spots from Santa Barbara County down to San Diego. Each spot lists its best and good times of day, and the regional view describes size in body heights, like waist high. Today and the next four days are free with no account. Signing up adds days 6 to 14, Best Spots and saved favorites, and the iPhone app offers in-app purchases.
Is there a free surf report for Southern California?
Yes. Every service on this page has free SoCal surf information. Lineup Report is free all the way through, with no ads and no account.
Which free option shows surf cams?
Lineup links each spot to a free cam when one shows the break, and Windy maps public webcams. Surfline’s own live cams need Premium from September 29, 2026.
Do I need an account?
Not for Lineup Report, CDIP, 17ft or WaveCast. Duune shows five days per spot without one and asks you to sign up for the rest. The paid plans on the other services need one.
Sources
- Surf-Forecast Premium features
- Quiver free surf reports
- Quiver Pro membership
- Surf Captain free and Pro forecasts
- Windy free maps and Premium features
- CDIP buoy observations and wave models
- 17ft buoys, wind and tides
- WaveCast SoCal forecast
- Surfline Support, the live cam access notice: live cams need Premium from September 29, 2026.
- Duune, the duunecrew.com web app and its App Store listing, checked October 5, 2026: five free days per spot, sign-up for days 6 to 14 and Best Spots, in-app purchases in the iPhone app.
Checked October 4, 2026.