La Jolla, Pacific Beach & Ocean Beach surf reports

Best seasons

Winter. West and northwest swells are the main event. Scripps Canyon, just offshore, focuses them into hard, hollow peaks at Blacks, and Windansea’s reef has its biggest, most consistent days. Under the Sunset Cliffs on Point Loma, the flat reefs like the tide coming up from low toward mid, and the kelp beds outside keep the surface clean when the wind picks up elsewhere. The water drops to the high 50s, so wear a full suit.

Summer. Summer runs smaller over the reefs, and La Jolla Shores becomes the city’s busiest place to learn, full of lessons, swimmers and kayaks. Stingrays settle into the warm shallows, so shuffle your feet as you wade in at La Jolla Shores and Tourmaline. Checkered black-and-yellow flags on the busiest beaches keep boards out of the swimming areas. After storms, the San Diego River pours runoff out at Dog Beach, beside the Ocean Beach lineup. The water warms into the high 60s by August.

Spring and fall. Fall is the pick at Crystal Pier, when northwest and southwest swells mix and the summer crowds thin out, and Tourmaline’s slow peaks run best from fall into winter. Spring is a mix of swell directions in cooler water, under the gray skies of June Gloom.

Where to start

Beginners. La Jolla Shores is the classic first-lesson beach, with soft sandbar waves; start near the main lifeguard tower. Tourmaline’s slow peaks have taught generations; start from the sand south of the lot, since the north end is rocky. On small days, beginners can try the softer peaks north of Crystal Pier.

Longboards. Tourmaline and La Jolla Shores suit longboards best. Windansea’s long right takes a log when it’s soft, and so do the slower south peaks at Sunset Cliffs.

Shortboards. Blacks is for expert surfers, and the city’s advice is to come in on foot along the beach, from Torrey Pines State Beach or the Shores, when the tide is lower. At Windansea, the inside left gets hollow where the reef runs shallow. At Sunset Cliffs, take the stairs at Ladera Street and stay back from the cliff edges. Ocean Beach’s peaky sandbars are the everyday option, with a strong rip by the pier on bigger swells.

Which spot for which swell

Guide updated October 2026