Santa Cruz Surf Report

How's the water today?

Read the conditions, then plan your day around the swell, or the event.

Steamer Lane

Lighthouse Point, West Cliff Drive · swell window NW–W (270–320°)

Good

Weak windswell, cross-shore wind

“Glassy and fun, but bring your patience”

The Lane is sitting at about 3 to 4 feet on a short 6-second NW swell this morning, which means punchy, quick little walls rather than long peeling lines. Wind is essentially nothing right now, coming in light from the east, so the surface is clean and the early session should look better than it surfs. High tide hits 5.3 feet around 11, so if you can get out before that, you'll find more shape, and the afternoon drops back down with the period ticking up slightly to nearly 7 seconds, which might actually squeeze a bit more out of what's left. Intermediate surfers who can work smaller, faster waves will have fun today, but if you're waiting on something to really open up, this isn't that day.

Est. face

3-5 ft

chest high

Swell ht

3.0ft

Period

6.5s

Swell

Wind

15.0mph W

gusts 19

Water

61.3°F

South swell: 2.2 ft · 10.7 s · S · est. face 2-3 ft (waist high)

Air 64°F Clear UV 6.2 · High 🌅 7:00 AM · 🌇 6:57 PM

🌙 Tides today

2.8 ft now, falling

1.2 ft 5.3 ft 0.5 ft 4.4 ft

6 AM Noon 6 PM

Low 1.19 ft · 4:54 AM

High 5.33 ft · 11:08 AM

Low 0.46 ft · 5:37 PM

High 4.41 ft · 11:54 PM

Curve interpolated between NOAA predicted highs and lows at station 9413745 (Santa Cruz), which covers all three spots.

📅 7-day swell forecast

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Today	3.7ft · 6s · NW est. face 4-5 ft Good	3.0ft · 7s · NW est. face 4-5 ft Good
Mon 9/28	3.7ft · 5s · NW est. face 4-5 ft Good	3.9ft · 6s · NW est. face 4-6 ft Good
Tue 9/29	4.6ft · 6s · NW est. face 5-6 ft Good	4.6ft · 6s · NW est. face 5-6 ft Good
Wed 9/30	5.8ft · 7s · NW est. face 6-8 ft Good	4.9ft · 7s · NW est. face 5-7 ft Good
Thu 10/1	3.9ft · 7s · NW est. face 4-6 ft Good	3.6ft · 7s · NW est. face 4-5 ft Good
Fri 10/2	2.8ft · 6s · NW est. face 3-4 ft Good	2.5ft · 6s · NW est. face 3-4 ft Good
Sat 10/3	3.9ft · 5s · NW est. face 4-5 ft Good	4.5ft · 6s · NW est. face 5-6 ft Good

Pleasure Point

East Cliff Drive near 36th–41st Ave · swell window W–SW (210–285°)

Fair

Weak windswell, light onshore

“Small and Clean, Worth the Early Paddle”

With 3.2 feet at 6.3 seconds out of the west and barely a breath of wind this morning, Pleasure Point is glassy and rideable right now. The period is on the shorter side so don't expect long walls, but clean little runners are breaking through the Hook and up toward 38th, and that light east wind is keeping it tidy before the sea breeze fills in later. High tide hits 11:08 AM, so if you're going out, earlier is better before the push softens things up and the afternoon drops to 2.7 feet. This is a good morning for longboarders, beginners working on their positioning, or anyone who just wants a mellow session without a crowd breathing down their neck.

Est. face

3-4 ft

chest high

Swell ht

2.7ft

Period

6.4s

Swell

Wind

11.2mph W

gusts 14

Water

62.1°F

SSW swell: 2.1 ft · 10.9 s · SSW · est. face 3 ft (chest high)

Air 66°F Clear UV 6.2 · High 🌅 7:00 AM · 🌇 6:56 PM

🌙 Tides today

2.8 ft now, falling

1.2 ft 5.3 ft 0.5 ft 4.4 ft

6 AM Noon 6 PM

Low 1.19 ft · 4:54 AM

High 5.33 ft · 11:08 AM

Low 0.46 ft · 5:37 PM

High 4.41 ft · 11:54 PM

Curve interpolated between NOAA predicted highs and lows at station 9413745 (Santa Cruz), which covers all three spots.

📅 7-day swell forecast

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Today	3.1ft · 6s · W est. face 3-4 ft Good	2.7ft · 7s · NW est. face 3-4 ft Good
Mon 9/28	3.1ft · 5s · W est. face 3-4 ft Good	3.3ft · 6s · W est. face 3-5 ft Good
Tue 9/29	3.9ft · 6s · W est. face 4-5 ft Good	4.2ft · 6s · W est. face 4-6 ft Good
Wed 9/30	4.9ft · 7s · W est. face 5-7 ft Good	4.5ft · 7s · W est. face 5-6 ft Good
Thu 10/1	3.3ft · 7s · W est. face 4-5 ft Good	3.1ft · 7s · W est. face 3-5 ft Good
Fri 10/2	2.4ft · 6s · NW est. face 3-4 ft Good	1.9ft · 7s · NW est. face 2-3 ft Good
Sat 10/3	3.4ft · 6s · NW est. face 3-5 ft Good	3.5ft · 6s · NW est. face 3-5 ft Good

4 Mile

Hwy 1 at Wilder Ranch (hike in) · swell window NW–WNW (280–330°)

Good

Weak windswell, cross-shore wind

“Four feet of northwest, glassy and worth the walk”

Conditions at 4 Mile this morning are clean and accessible, with waist-to-chest-high sets coming in at 4 to 4.5 feet on a short 6-second period, so expect punchy, quick peaks rather than long peeling walls. The light northwest wind at under 5 mph is keeping the surface glassy, which makes the hike down from the trailhead feel like the right call today. Tide is pushing toward that mid-morning high of 5.3 feet around 11 AM, so get out there early while the lower water is still helping the shape. Intermediate surfers comfortable on a shortboard or a fish will have the most fun with this, and if you prefer a little more room than Steamer Lane or the Hook, today's crowd factor out here is almost certainly in your favor.

Est. face

4-5 ft

head high

Swell ht

3.3ft

Period

6.5s

Swell

Wind

11.1mph NW

gusts 15

Water

61.3°F

South swell: 2.3 ft · 10.6 s · S · est. face 2-3 ft (waist high)

Air 61°F Clear UV 6.2 · High 🌅 7:00 AM · 🌇 6:57 PM

🌙 Tides today

2.8 ft now, falling

1.2 ft 5.3 ft 0.5 ft 4.4 ft

6 AM Noon 6 PM

Low 1.19 ft · 4:54 AM

High 5.33 ft · 11:08 AM

Low 0.46 ft · 5:37 PM

High 4.41 ft · 11:54 PM

Curve interpolated between NOAA predicted highs and lows at station 9413745 (Santa Cruz), which covers all three spots.

📅 7-day swell forecast

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Today	4.3ft · 6s · NW est. face 4-6 ft Good	3.3ft · 7s · NW est. face 4-5 ft Good
Mon 9/28	4.3ft · 5s · NW est. face 4-6 ft Good	4.3ft · 6s · NW est. face 5-6 ft Good
Tue 9/29	5.4ft · 6s · NW est. face 5-7 ft Good	5.2ft · 6s · NW est. face 5-7 ft Good
Wed 9/30	6.6ft · 7s · NW est. face 7-9 ft Good	5.7ft · 7s · NW est. face 6-8 ft Good
Thu 10/1	4.5ft · 7s · NW est. face 5-7 ft Good	4.1ft · 7s · NW est. face 5-6 ft Good
Fri 10/2	3.3ft · 6s · NW est. face 4-5 ft Good	2.7ft · 6s · NW est. face 3-4 ft Good
Sat 10/3	4.3ft · 5s · NW est. face 4-6 ft Good	4.9ft · 7s · NW est. face 5-7 ft Good

Conditions & 7-day forecast: Open-Meteo (per spot) · Wave observations: NOAA Buoy 46236 · Tides: NOAA CO-OPS · Updated 2026-09-27T14:00:19.327918