United States ยท North America
Each location is refreshed once every three hours. The hourly view, 7-day forecast, luck factor and packing notes come from the same stored update.
We compare the 7-day forecast with the version-matched historical observations available for the same time of year at Ocean Beach SF. The delta shows whether conditions look better, worse or about the same as a typical late July.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Flat as a lake. Save your energy for another day. Long-period groundswell delivering clean, organised lines. Strong onshore blowing everything out. Give it a miss. Best conditions early morning before the sea breeze arrives. Not enough swell to get this spot firing properly.
PeakWave scores are planning signals, not safety clearance. Check local authorities, official bulletins and on-site conditions before you go. Read our editorial policy.
Ocean Beach is an expansive, remarkably heavy beach break situated in San Francisco, California, directly exposed to the violent North Pacific Ocean. The bathymetry relies entirely on complex, shifting silica sandbanks strongly influenced by the massive tidal outflow from the adjacent Golden Gate Strait. This coastal environment captures unattenuated north-westerly winter groundswells, funnelling raw, concentrated ocean energy directly onto the nearshore sandbars. When an immense, long-period swell strikes these compacted banks, it produces incredibly thick, top-to-bottom plunging A-frame peaks that resemble heavy reef slabs. An easterly offshore wind is necessary to hold the wave face open and combat the frequent coastal fog. The combination of freezing water, severe littoral rip currents, immense hold-downs, and an extraordinarily demanding paddle-out renders Ocean Beach strictly the domain of advanced to elite surfers. It is a highly consequential, heavy-water arena that requires supreme physical endurance and exceptional wave-reading mechanics to survive the brutal line-up.
Looking clean - lifeguarded, sandy bottom.
The air here is 67% cleaner than the average comparison city right now.
Noticeably cleaner air than a typical city. Good conditions for prolonged outdoor activity.
Not a pollutant. Ozone is naturally higher at altitude and near the coast, and lower in cities where traffic exhaust breaks it down. High readings here typically indicate clean air. Can cause short-term airway irritation during intense exercise but is not linked to the long-term health risks of particulate pollution.
Additive health score: each pollutant contributes points relative to its WHO 2021 guideline and long-term health impact (PM2.5 9, NOโ 5, Oโ 3, PM10 2, SOโ 1 at WHO limits). Data via Open-Meteo. City markers show live readings. Red line marks the WHO guideline. Updated 15:24
Moderate water clarity: ~3m visibility
High sediment levels, possible runoff or storm disturbance
Daily scores over the last 12 months at Ocean Beach SF
Historical quality only. Safety is not reconstructed for this view.
Create a free profile and let employers in Ocean Beach SF find you.
Create Profile โPartly. The model uses stored spot geometry, swell ranges and tide preferences where configured. It cannot see changing banks, crowds, access, closures or everything visible on a local cam, so treat it as a starting point.
The best week for surf at Ocean Beach SF is the week of 30 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
This guide was generated from conditions data. Know this spot? Submit your own tips below.
Ocean Beach San Francisco is one of the heaviest beach breaks in the world, producing thick, powerful barrels over shifting sandbars influenced by the massive tidal flow from the Golden Gate. When major North Pacific winter swells arrive, the wave transforms into a slab-like shorebreak that rivals reef breaks in intensity. The freezing water, dense fog, powerful currents, and shark-rich environment make this an unforgiving arena. This is urban big-wave surfing at its most extreme.
North-westerly winter groundswells from October through March deliver the most powerful conditions. The wave needs at least 4ft of swell to produce quality peaks, with 8-15ft days creating world-class barrels. Easterly offshore winds provide clean conditions but are rare; light onshore days can still produce rideable waves due to the sheer power of the swell. Dawn glass-offs offer the most consistent clean window.
The peaks shift constantly across the miles-long beach. The VFW's section, Kelly's Cove, and various numbered streets each have reputations for producing quality banks. The sandbars form and disappear unpredictably. Study the water from the Great Highway for 20 minutes before committing; look for the channels between bars that indicate where peaks will form.
The paddle-out is notoriously brutal, often taking 20-30 minutes through multiple rows of whitewater. Severe rip currents sweep along the beach and out to sea. The water is freezing (9-12C). Great white sharks inhabit the area. Multi-wave hold-downs on bigger days are common and dangerous. The shifting peaks close out without warning. This is genuinely life-threatening surfing on the biggest days.
Street parking along the Great Highway or in the adjacent car parks. The beach is immediately accessible from the road. No facilities at beach level. The Sunset district behind the beach has services. The wave is visible from the road, making condition checks easy.
Ocean Beach has a small but fiercely dedicated community of heavy-water specialists. The demanding paddle-out, cold water, and powerful waves naturally limit numbers. On good days, expect 20-40 experienced surfers spread across the peaks. The standard is very high. Dawn patrol is the culturally preferred session time.
The paddle-out is the crux. Fitness is everything. If you cannot paddle hard for 30 minutes without rest, you are not ready for Ocean Beach. A thick wetsuit (5/4mm with hood, boots, gloves) is essential year-round. Bring a step-up board for anything over 6ft. The Golden Gate tidal flow affects the currents dramatically; check the tide tables. Low tide produces the hollowest, most dangerous conditions. Mid-tide incoming is the safest window for quality waves.
Surf at Ocean Beach SF
Your score
Forecast feel
Score this window against what you actually found.
No scored surf reviews in the last 24 hours.
No recent check-ins. Be the first to report.
Log a day
Add Ocean Beach SF to your private Companion record without GPS.
Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
Last 29 days of logged conditions.
Based on historical weekly averages
See timing scores, school holiday busyness, and lift pass pricing to find the best time to book.
View Best Time to Go โ