SurfForecaster

Orange County, 2-5 ft. Fair now.

Orange County is 2-5 ft, chest to shoulder. Wind 3 kt N, glassy, at John Wayne Airport, 10 km inland. Next tide high 5.1 ft at 11:36 AM. Water 71°F.6:10 AM auto summary

  • Heat Advisory, Orange County, Thu 10 AM to Sat 8 PM.
Now, Thu 7:04 AMForecast run: Oct 15, 6 AM
WAVE HEIGHT, FT
Number: typical max ft
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400 m to 1 km grid. CDIP model.

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Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair.

Report

Written at 6:00 AM from live data.

Orange County

Orange County is 2-5 ft, chest to shoulder. Wind 3 kt N, glassy, at John Wayne Airport, 10 km inland. Next tide high 5.1 ft at 11:36 AM. Water 71°F.

Auto summary

Auto summary from live data. AI writer unavailable this morning.

Written 6:10 AM from data as of 6:02 AM

Next report 6:00 AM tomorrow

Full report

Forecast

Seven days by region. Tap a day for detail.

Orange County, seven days by block.
DawnMorningMiddayAfternoon
Thu dawn: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair to Good, NE 2 kt glassy.Thu morning: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair to Good, NE 7 kt offshore.Thu midday: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair to Good, NNW 5 kt cross-offshore.Thu afternoon: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair, NW 5 kt cross.

Thursday, Orange County

Loading the Orange County forecast.

Fri dawn: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair to Good, N 2 kt glassy.Fri morning: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair to Good, NE 2 kt glassy.Fri midday: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair, ESE 6 kt cross-offshore.Fri afternoon: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair to Good, E 2 kt glassy.
Sat dawn: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair to Good, NE 1 kt glassy.Sat morning: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair to Good, ESE 4 kt cross-offshore.Sat midday: Orange County 2-5 ft, Poor to Fair, WSW 8 kt onshore.Sat afternoon: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair, WSW 4 kt onshore.
Sun dawn: Orange County 2-6 ft, Good, NE 1 kt glassy.Sun morning: Orange County 3-6 ft, Good, SW 3 kt glassy.Sun midday: Orange County 3-6 ft, Fair, WSW 8 kt onshore.Sun afternoon: Orange County 3-6 ft, Fair, W 6 kt cross-onshore.
Mon dawn: Orange County 3-6 ft, Good, E 1 kt glassy.Mon morning: Orange County 3-6 ft, Fair to Good, S 3 kt onshore.Mon midday: Orange County 3-6 ft, Fair, SSW 8 kt onshore.Mon afternoon: Orange County 3-6 ft, Fair to Good, WSW 4 kt onshore.
Tue dawn: Orange County 3-6 ft, Good, WSW 1 kt glassy.Tue morning: Orange County 3-6 ft, Fair to Good, WSW 5 kt onshore.Tue midday: Orange County 3-6 ft, Poor, WSW 11 kt onshore.Tue afternoon: Orange County 2-6 ft, Poor to Fair, WSW 8 kt onshore.
Wed dawn: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair to Good, SSE 3 kt cross-onshore.Wed morning: Orange County 2-5 ft, Fair, SSE 8 kt cross-onshore.Wed midday: Orange County 2-5 ft, Poor to Fair, S 8 kt onshore.No estimate
  • Flat
  • Very Poor
  • Poor
  • Poor to Fair
  • Fair
  • Fair to Good
  • Good
  • Epic
  • Outlined: best window
  • Hatched: low confidence

Outlook

Offshore swell only. Size at the beach depends on the region.

    Tides

    Tide for the next three days, by region.

    Wind

    Observed at John Wayne Airport, then the forecast.

    Wind, kt
    ObservedForecast3 ktPeak 7 kt

    John Wayne Airport, 10 km inland. Forecast: blend of HRRR, NBM, ECMWF, GEM, GFS.

    Orange County surf guide

    Orange County is the south swell magnet of Southern California. Catalina and San Clemente Island cut most west swell, but south swell comes in at full size or bigger.

    Swell

    The coast faces southwest (220°). South to south southwest swell reaches most of the coast at 80% to 120% of its offshore height. Catalina and San Clemente Island cut southwest to west swell, 225° to 270°, to about a third. Northwest swell is blocked.

    Newport and Huntington take due south swell best. Huntington and Seal Beach are the only stretches open to a west swell. Trestles, San Clemente and Dana Point take south southwest to southwest.

    Wind and tide

    Mornings often start with a light northeast land breeze, which is offshore. The afternoon sea breeze comes from the southwest to west. Santa Ana wind is offshore and often strongest below the Santa Ana River canyon.

    The wind reading comes from John Wayne Airport, about 10 km inland, so the beach can differ. The tide is the Newport Bay entrance prediction; there is no live gauge.

    Seasons

    Summer is the season, when south swell from the Southern Hemisphere is most common. Winter west swell mainly reaches Huntington and Seal Beach. Water runs from about 59°F in March to 70°F in August. Wear a 3/2 or 4/3 in winter and trunks in August and September.

    Breaks

    Trestles
    Cobble point at the south end, a south swell wave. Reached on foot from San Clemente.
    Huntington Pier
    Beach break on both sides of the pier. Picks up south and west swell.
    The Wedge
    Heavy shorebreak off the Newport jetty on big south swell. Experts only.
    Salt Creek
    Beach and reef in Dana Point that takes south and west swell.
    San Onofre
    Slow, mellow waves, good for longboards and beginners.

    Before you go

    • Stay out of the water for about 72 hours after rain. River mouths and Newport Harbor are the worst after storms.
    • Harbors and jetties are not part of this forecast.

    Swell window

    How much of an offshore swell reaches this coast, by direction.

    Bar: median. Tick: the most exposed 10% of the coast.

    The south swell magnet: S to SSW at 0.8 to 1.2 over most of the coast. Catalina and San Clemente Island cut SW to W to about 0.35. Huntington and Seal Beach are the only stretches open to W. NW is blocked.

    Buoys

    Four offshore buoys for Orange County. Swell shows up here first.

    Dashed: windswell

    All buoy data

    News

    Swell alerts and notes for Orange County.

    All news

    Common questions

    Answers from the latest data.

    Other regions