San Onofre surf forecast
Our San Onofre forecast is set for Old Man's, a south-west facing cobblestone reef that works for all levels and fills up with longboards. It sits on Surf Beach inside San Onofre State Beach, a long strip of coast just south of San Clemente.
San Onofre surf report, hour by hour
The table tracks swell, wind and tide for Old Man's hour by hour. The reef is at its best when waves run between 0.8 and 1.8 m, the wind comes from the north-east and the tide sits around mid.
Updated 23:58next run 04:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
09:00–10:00 · glassy
Today 2 Nov
Marginal 07-11: average, head-high, glassy.
Best window: 07:00–11:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 04:10
- Low
- 09:30
- High
- 15:00
- Low
- 22:00
- Sunrise
- 06:09
- Sunset
- 16:57
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 3 Nov
Go 08-10, clean head-high, offshore N.
Best window: 08:00–10:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 04:48
- Low
- 10:39
- High
- 16:20
- Low
- 22:46
- Sunrise
- 06:10
- Sunset
- 16:57
Every hour, 05–21
Wednesday 4 Nov
Worth it 06-10, clean head-high, cross-offshore ESE.
Best window: 06:00–10:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 05:19
- Low
- 11:34
- High
- 17:17
- Low
- 23:25
- Sunrise
- 06:11
- Sunset
- 16:56
Every 3 hours
Thursday 5 Nov
Go 09-10, clean chest-shoulder, glassy.
Kiwi's best shot: 09:00–10:00
Tide and daylight
- High
- 05:48
- Low
- 12:18
- High
- 18:13
- Low
- 23:58
- Sunrise
- 06:12
- Sunset
- 16:55
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: San Onofre (33.373, -117.567). Waves = estimated breaking height at the beach. Data: Open-Meteo wave and weather models (CC BY 4.0). Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Surf at your own risk.
Watch the wind column first. Old Man's is offshore in a north-east wind. In one sample forecast, mornings came in clean on light winds, mostly from the east to north-east, and on the first two days conditions turned choppy by midday as a westerly filled in.
The breaks of San Onofre
The beach is also known as Sano. The state beach holds several breaks on its 3.5 miles of coast, from Trestles to Trails, the southernmost spot. Surf Beach splits into three spots: The Point, Old Man's and Dogpatch.
Old Man's
Cobblestone reefAll levelsThis is the break our forecast is built for, a cobblestone reef facing south-west. It suits every level, but expect a crowd of longboards in the line-up.
A surfing and fishing camp has been at San Onofre since the 1920s. Surfers on redwood boards have visited since at least the 1940s. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The Point
Surf BeachNeighbour peakThe Point is one of the three spots that make up Surf Beach, next to Old Man's and Dogpatch. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Dogpatch
Surf BeachNeighbour peakDogpatch is the third named spot on Surf Beach. Like Old Man's, it is part of San Onofre Surf Beach, a day-use facility. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trails
Rock and sandSouthern endTrails is the most southern surf spot in this stretch. It mixes rocky bottom and sandy breaks. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Church
Near Camp PendletonSouth of TrestlesChurch sits just south of Middle Trestles. It lies near Camp Pendleton's beach resort. Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Lower Trestles
Best of TrestlesContest waveLowers consistently has the best waves of the Trestles group. It hosted the WSL World Tour and the NSSA Nationals for many years.
Trestles will host the surfing events of the 2028 Summer Olympics. The walk from Surf Beach is a lot longer than the trail from Cristianitos Road. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
What San Onofre needs to fire
These are the exact rules behind Kiwi's rating for this spot. Every hour of the forecast is scored on all four, then turned into a rating of 1 to 5 stars.
Swell
South to west swells
Old Man's faces south-west and takes swell from the south round to the west.
Wind
North-east wind is offshore
A north-east wind blows offshore here.
Tide
Mid tide works best
Aim for the middle of the tide.
Size
0.8 to 1.8 metres
Waves of 0.8 to 1.8 m are ideal, and under 0.4 m is too small. Above 2.5 m it is too big for this reef.
Shortcut: a 0.8–1.8 m south-west swell, a north-east breeze and mid tide is the day to go.
The best months to surf San Onofre
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often San Onofre's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Nov–JanThe best run of the year
January has 74% of days rated 4 or better and November has 70%, with November reaching 97% at 3 or better. Water drops to 16.8–18.6°C.
Feb–MaySteady spring surf
February dips to 43% of days at 4 or better. March to May hold near 60%, and 84–90% of days rate 3 or better.
Jun–JulQuieter, warmer water
Only 30–35% of days rate 4 or better in June and July. Water warms from 20.2 to 21.9°C.
Aug–OctWarmest water, mixed surf
August is strong with 68% of days at 4 or better, but September falls to 30% and October sits at 45%. The sea is at its warmest, 23.0–23.9°C.
Before you go
Hazards
The bottom at Old Man's is cobblestone reef, so take care when you fall or step off your board.
After any measurable rain, plan to stay out of the water for 72 hours because of urban runoff. The risk of getting sick is real. Sources: swellmagnet.com
Getting there
The beach is 3 miles south of San Clemente on Interstate 5 at Basilone Road. Leave the freeway at Basilone Road and head west to the Surf Beach entrance. Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Parking and access
You pay a fee to drive into the state park at Surf Beach. The park is leased to California by the United States Marine Corps.
If you are heading to Trestles instead, most people use the trail from Cristianitos Road. Walking, biking or skating in that way is free. Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Crowds and etiquette
Old Man's is crowded with longboards. San Onofre State Beach gets over 2.5 million visitors a year and ranks among the five busiest state parks in California. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Water temperature and wetsuit
From December to March the sea sits at 16.7–17.6°C.
April, May and November run 18.6–18.9°C. June is 20.2°C.
From July to October the water is 21.9–23.9°C.
Best time of day
Go early. In one sample forecast, mornings were clean, and on the first two days midday turned choppy as west winds came in. A local forecast for the same Monday had offshore winds lasting until noon. Sources: surfcaptain.com · swellmagnet.com
Park rules and respect
Alcohol is banned on every beach in the park. Nudity is not allowed anywhere in San Onofre State Beach.
The park holds Panhe, an Acjachemen village over 8,000 years old. It is still a sacred ceremonial and burial site, so treat it with care. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Wildlife
Keep an eye out past the line-up, because whales, dolphins and sea lions show up offshore. Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Where the numbers come from
The method
Kiwi takes Open-Meteo's wave and wind models (ECMWF WAM, Météo-France, NOAA GFS and Open-Meteo's best-match blend) at a point about 5 km off San Onofre. There is no buoy correction here yet: these are the models as they come.
Each hour is scored on the four rules above (swell, wind, tide, size). The stars are calibrated on a full year of data for USA, so 4 stars at San Onofre is a genuinely good day by that country's standard.
What we can say
The season chart and the stars use the same rules, replayed on the archive: a month marked good was good by these rules, not by a surf report.
Without a buoy nearby, the size at the beach is our model's estimate, not a measurement.
San Onofre surf questions
Is San Onofre good for beginners?
Yes, Old Man's suits all levels. Expect a crowd of longboards and a cobblestone bottom.
When is the best time to surf San Onofre?
January and November are the strongest months, with 74% and 70% of days rated 4 or better. June and September are the weakest, at 30%.
How cold is the water in San Onofre in December?
The sea averages 17.6°C in December.
What wind is offshore at San Onofre?
A north-east wind is offshore at Old Man's. In a sample forecast, mornings were clean, and on the first two days midday turned choppy on westerly winds.
How do I get to San Onofre Surf Beach?
Leave Interstate 5 at Basilone Road and head west to the Surf Beach entrance. You pay a fee to drive into the park.
Is Trestles part of San Onofre?
Yes, Trestles sits inside San Onofre State Beach and can be reached by a nature trail from San Mateo Campgrounds. The hike there from Surf Beach is considerably longer than the walk from Cristianitos Road.
Check San Onofre before you drive
Open the hourly table, find a north-east breeze, a 0.8–1.8 m swell and mid tide, and paddle out at Old Man's.