Black's Beach
Torrey Pines City Beach
Now
Thu Nov 5 · 12–3 PM forecast
5–6 fthead high to a foot overhead
Best tomorrow · Fri 6
Compare bothNothing good left today.
Best tomorrow · Fri 6, 6 to 10:15 AM Pacific.
then the wind picks up
3–4 ft · waist to chest
On the small side for a shortboard; light offshore wind is grooming the waves.
Black's Beach surf guide
Heavy, fast peaks fed by a deep canyon off La Jolla, for experts only · 3 things to watch
Black's Beach guide
Heavy, fast peaks fed by a deep canyon off La Jolla, for experts only.
- Good for
- Advanced surfers on shortboards and step-ups.
- The wave
- Fast, hollow A-frames, focused by Scripps Canyon just offshore.
- Watch for
- Unstable cliffs and unmaintained trails.
- Strong rips and sneaker sets.
- A deep, skilled pack on good swells.
- Best when
- Best on a SW to NW swell (225°–305°) with E offshore wind, at low to mid tide (about 0.5–3 ft).
MoreLess about Black's Beach
Shortboards at 3–8 ft. Most consistent in fall and winter.
Others scramble down the cliff trail from the Gliderport, or take the La Jolla Farms Road route, a long walk on pavement that comes out at the beach's southern stretch. The city has signed the Gliderport path against use.
The state-run stretch north of the Gliderport trail is clothing-optional; the city-run south end, where the main peaks break, is not.
Good swells draw a deep, skilled pack. The sand has no facilities, so carry water, and paddle out with a friend.
- Local tip
- The city points surfers to the walk along the sand from Torrey Pines State Beach or La Jolla Shores. Go at lower tides; high water or big surf can block it.
GOOD TIDE TODAY9:40 AM–4:10 PM
Guide updated October 2026
Spot research: WannaSurf, Surf Trips, Wikipedia, Mondo Surf, Deepswell, Surf-Forecast, Surfline, Go Visit San Diego, Pop Up Surf Trips and City of San Diego.
Send a spot correctionNo cam for this spot yet.
Live buoy Scripps Nearshore
- WAVES
- 3.8 ft
- PERIOD
- 14s
- FROM
- WNW 299°
- WATER
- 76°
Observed 1:30 PM · 52 min old
7-day surf
SB shortboard · LB longboard
Thu 12 PM · now
5–6 ft · head high to a foot overhead ·
5 mph, gusts 6, onshore · tide 0.8 ft falling
Swell near the beach: 5.0 ft every 14 s from SW
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 12 AM | 5–6 ft | Shortboard Good, longboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 4 mph, gusts 5, offshore | 0.6 ft and rising |
| Thu 3 AM | 5–6 ft | Shortboard Good, longboard Fair–Good | 4 mph, gusts 5, offshore | 2.8 ft and rising |
| Thu 6 AM | 5–6 ft | Shortboard Good, longboard Fair–Good | 5 mph, gusts 6, offshore | 5.4 ft and rising |
| Thu 9 AM | 5–6 ft | Shortboard Good, longboard Fair–Good | 1 mph, gusts 2, glassy | 3.7 ft and falling |
| Thu 12 PM | 5–6 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair | 5 mph, gusts 6, onshore | 0.8 ft and falling |
| Thu 3 PM | 4–5 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Poor–Fair | 10 mph, gusts 13, cross-onshore | 1.8 ft and rising |
| Thu 6 PM | 4–5 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair, dark hours | 6 mph, gusts 11, cross-onshore | 4.3 ft and rising |
| Thu 9 PM | 4–5 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 4 mph cross-offshore | 3.2 ft and falling |
| Fri 12 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Good, longboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 3 mph, gusts 7, offshore | 1.0 ft and falling |
| Fri 3 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good | 6 mph, gusts 7, offshore | 2.6 ft and rising |
| Fri 6 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair | 6 mph offshore | 5.6 ft and rising |
| Fri 9 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair | 2 mph, gusts 3, glassy | 4.4 ft and falling |
| Fri 12 PM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor | 9 mph, gusts 10, onshore | 0.8 ft and falling |
| Fri 3 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor | 8 mph, gusts 10, onshore | 0.7 ft and rising |
| Fri 6 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair, dark hours | 4 mph, gusts 10, cross | 3.6 ft and rising |
| Fri 9 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair, dark hours | 4 mph offshore | 3.7 ft and falling |
| Sat 12 AM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 6 mph offshore | 1.5 ft and falling |
| Sat 3 AM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good | 2 mph, gusts 11, glassy | 2.4 ft and rising |
| Sat 6 AM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair | 8 mph, gusts 11, offshore | 5.5 ft and rising |
| Sat 9 AM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair | 3 mph, gusts 9, cross-offshore | 5.0 ft and falling |
| Sat 12 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor–Fair | 7 mph cross-onshore | 1.1 ft and falling |
| Sat 3 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor | 9 mph cross-onshore | 0.0 ft and rising |
| Sat 6 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor–Fair, dark hours | 7 mph, gusts 11, cross-onshore | 2.8 ft and rising |
| Sat 9 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor–Fair, dark hours | 5 mph, gusts 9, cross-onshore | 3.9 ft and falling |
| Sun 12 AM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 2 mph, gusts 3, glassy | 2.0 ft and falling |
| Sun 3 AM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair–Good | 3 mph, gusts 4, offshore | 2.3 ft and rising |
| Sun 6 AM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair | 4 mph, gusts 5, offshore | 5.3 ft and rising |
| Sun 9 AM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair | 2 mph, gusts 3, glassy | 5.5 ft and falling |
| Sun 12 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor–Fair | 5 mph onshore | 1.7 ft and falling |
| Sun 3 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor | 8 mph, gusts 10, cross-onshore | −0.4 ft and rising |
| Sun 6 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor–Fair, dark hours | 5 mph, gusts 9, cross-onshore | 1.9 ft and rising |
| Sun 9 PM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair, dark hours | 2 mph, gusts 3, glassy | 3.9 ft and falling |
| Mon 12 AM | 2–3 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 3 mph offshore | 2.5 ft and falling |
| Mon 3 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good | 3 mph, gusts 5, offshore | 2.3 ft and rising |
| Mon 6 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good | 3 mph, gusts 5, offshore | 5.0 ft and rising |
| Mon 9 AM | 4–5 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good | 3 mph offshore | 5.8 ft and falling |
| Mon 12 PM | 5–6 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair | 5 mph onshore | 2.4 ft and falling |
| Mon 3 PM | 5–6 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor–Fair | 8 mph onshore | −0.5 ft and falling |
| Mon 6 PM | 5–6 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 3 mph onshore | 1.1 ft and rising |
| Mon 9 PM | 4–5 ft | Shortboard Good, longboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 2 mph glassy | 3.6 ft and rising |
| Tue 12 AM | 4–5 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good, dark hours | 3 mph cross | 2.9 ft and falling |
| Tue 3 AM | 4–5 ft | Shortboard Good, longboard Fair–Good | 1 mph glassy | 2.3 ft and rising |
| Tue 6 AM | 4–5 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good | 3 mph offshore | 4.6 ft and rising |
| Tue 9 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair | 0 mph, gusts 1, glassy | 5.9 ft and falling |
| Tue 12 PM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Poor–Fair | 6 mph onshore | 3.1 ft and falling |
| Tue 3 PM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor–Fair | 7 mph onshore | −0.2 ft and falling |
| Tue 6 PM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Poor–Fair, dark hours | 4 mph onshore | 0.5 ft and rising |
| Tue 9 PM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair, dark hours | 3 mph cross-onshore | 3.0 ft and rising |
| Wed 12 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair, dark hours | 3 mph cross-onshore | 3.2 ft and falling |
| Wed 3 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair–Good | 2 mph glassy | 2.5 ft and rising |
| Wed 6 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair–Good, longboard Fair | 2 mph glassy | 4.3 ft and rising |
| Wed 9 AM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Fair, longboard Fair | 2 mph glassy | 5.8 ft and rising |
| Wed 12 PM | 3–4 ft | Shortboard Poor–Fair, longboard Poor–Fair | 6 mph onshore | 3.7 ft and falling |
| Wed 3 PM | Waves unavailable | Shortboard Unavailable, longboard Unavailable | 8 mph onshore | 0.4 ft and falling |
| Wed 6 PM | Waves unavailable | Shortboard Unavailable, longboard Unavailable, dark hours | 6 mph, gusts 7, cross-onshore | 0.2 ft and rising |
| Wed 9 PM | Waves unavailable | Shortboard Unavailable, longboard Unavailable, dark hours | 3 mph, gusts 4, cross | 2.4 ft and rising |
Today’s tide
GOOD 9:40 AM–4:10 PM
La Jolla · feet above low water
Swell
New WNW swell fills in Monday morning; another arrives with it.
Details
New WNW swell (13s) fills in Monday morning, peaks Monday afternoon, fades Tuesday.
New SSW swell (13s) fills in Monday morning, peaks Monday midday.
Wave forecast checked against the live Scripps Nearshore buoy.
Updated 2:03 PM · CDIP/Scripps, Open-Meteo and NOAA.
Common questions
Is Black's Beach good for beginners?
Not really; it suits surfers with some experience.
What tide is best at Black's Beach?
It’s best at low to mid tide (about 0.5–3 ft).
What swell works at Black's Beach?
A SW to NW swell (225°–305°) is best, with E offshore wind. It picks up swell from SSW to NW (195°–320°). Most consistent in fall and winter.
What board should I ride at Black's Beach?
It’s mainly a shortboard wave, best at 3–8 ft.
What should I watch out for at Black's Beach?
Unstable cliffs and unmaintained trails; strong rips and sneaker sets; and a deep, skilled pack on good swells.