Beach
both
Level 8/10

Ocean Beach SF

San Francisco, USA
🌀Strong rips🦈Sharks😮‍💨Hold-downs

Ocean Beach SF is California's cold-water crucible—a powerful beach break directly exposed to the full fetch of the North Pacific, where San Francisco's most committed surfers battle freezing water, closeout sets, and the knowledge that great white sharks patrol these waters. The wave is not for the faint-hearted: massive paddle-outs, heavy lips, and conditions that can go from fun to survival in minutes. But when winter storms send clean groundswells and east winds blow offshore, OB delivers some of Northern California's most powerful beach break surfing.

10-Day Forecast
Today9
23
Poor
1.3m@14s
17km/h
Mon10
26
Poor
1.3m@13s
23km/h
Tue11
20
Poor
1.3m@6s
13km/h
Wed12
15
Poor
1.2m@10s
14km/h
Thu13
0
Poor
0.9m@8s
17km/h
Fri14
4
Poor
0.6m@14s
11km/h
Sat15
4
Poor
0.7m@14s
12km/h
Sun16
0
Poor
0.7m@13s
13km/h
Mon17
28
Poor
1.0m@11s
12km/h
Tue18
0
Poor
0.0m@11s
12km/h
Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Best session: MorningAM 10 km/h · PM 24 km/h
Swell
1.3m
WNW(294°)
Score: 9/25
Period
14s
Long period groundswell
Score: 10/25
Wind
17km/h
WSW(242°)
Score: 0/25
Weather
17°C
0.0mm43%
First light 5:50amSunrise 6:20amSunset 8:10pmLast light 8:40pm
Windswell0.2m@2sSecondary0.6mConfidence
100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...
0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:50–7:33am · risingStrike window: 11:55am–2:40pm · through lowIdeal tide: 0.5–1.5m
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
°C
14°
15°
18°
19°
17°
14°
16°
18°
19°
19°
15°
18°
24°
24°
20°
15°
18°
22°
22°
20°
16°
18°
21°
22°
20°
16°
18°
23°
23°
20°
16°
18°
22°
22°
20°
17°
19°
22°
22°
20°
16°
18°
21°
22°
20°
16°
18°
22°
23°
21°
2m1.0
sec
15s
15s
15s
14s
14s
14s
14s
13s
13s
13s
6s
6s
7s
7s
6s
13s
13s
7s
7s
7s
7s
7s
8s
9s
9s
12s
13s
15s
14s
15s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
13s
13s
13s
13s
14s
8s
13s
13s
8s
10s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
swell
windkm/h
9g13
12g17
15g18
22g28
26g34
23g32
23g31
24g32
26g33
19g19
8g5
8g6
11g9
18g16
19g18
9g5
10g8
12g11
18g14
20g14
10g5
12g10
22g13
22g17
22g20
5g4
3g4
8g10
17g17
21g23
4g4
4g5
11g10
20g19
20g23
3g2
5g4
14g12
20g21
22g28
4g2
6g6
13g13
19g23
18g23
5g4
6g6
12g15
20g27
16g24
tidem
2:33am0.2m
9:25am1.7m
1:30pm1.4m
7:45pm2.6m
3:21am0.1m
10:07am1.8m
2:34pm1.3m
8:46pm2.6m
4:08am0.0m
10:47am1.9m
3:30pm1.2m
9:40pm2.6m
4:50am0.1m
11:26am2.0m
4:26pm1.1m
5:30am0.1m
12:01pm2.1m
5:20pm1.0m
6:05am0.3m
12:36pm2.1m
6:15pm0.9m
6:42am0.5m
1:11pm2.2m
7:10pm0.8m
1:05am2.0m
7:15am0.7m
1:47pm2.2m
8:08pm0.8m
2:05am1.8m
7:50am0.8m
2:22pm2.1m
Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

2:33 am
Low tide - 0.22m
9:25 am
High tide - 1.74m
1:30 pm
Low tide - 1.41m
7:45 pm
High tide - 2.58m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

23
Poor
Components
Swell Direction22/25
Swell Size9/25
Swell Period10/25
Wind0/25
Raw Score41/100
Adjustments
🌊 Tide+1
💨 Gusty Wind-4
⚠️ Weak Component-10
📉 Undersized Swell-5
Adjusted Score23/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score23
🌊 Partly in the tide window👥 Summer Break

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to SFO, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
WNW (290°)
Direction range
260° - 330°
Size range
1m - 5m
Ideal size
3.8m
Height multiplier
0.97×
Ideal period
18s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
E (90°)
Offshore range
45° - 135°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
low to mid
Optimal range
0.5m - 1.5m

Water temp

13°C

Wetsuit

4/3mm fullsuit

Difficulty

8/10

Crowd level

5/10

👥 Summer Break (Jun 15Aug 25) — expect extra crowds

Access: Beach parking along Great Highway.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Ocean Beach SF?

Ocean Beach SF works best on a low to mid tide, ideally between 0.5m and 1.5m on the local tide chart. The tide chart above shows today’s strike window.

What wind direction is offshore at Ocean Beach SF?

Offshore wind at Ocean Beach SF blows from the E (90°). Anything in the 45° to 135° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Ocean Beach SF?

Ocean Beach SF wants WNW swell (260° to 330°) between 1m and 5m, with a period of 18s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Ocean Beach SF?

The main season at Ocean Beach SF is Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar. A secondary window runs Sep, Apr. Big swells year-round. Massive in winter storms.

How do I get to Ocean Beach SF?

Fly into SFO, then allow about 25 minutes by road. Beach parking along Great Highway.

What kind of wave is Ocean Beach SF?

Ocean Beach SF is a beach break, a peak with lefts and rights. Difficulty is rated 8/10.

Best Season

Peak: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

Secondary: Sep, Apr

Big swells year-round. Massive in winter storms.

Getting There

Airport
SFO
Drive time
25 min
Data quality
verified

Strike Log

Community Discussion