Spot Overview & Description

Swell Height1 - 8 ft

SeabedBoulders, Sand

Skill LevelBeginner

Best TideLow, Mid, High

San Onofre State Beach is a living legend in the California surfscape, a place where soft, mushy longboard waves have shaped the state's easygoing beach culture for decades. This iconic stretch hosted some of the earliest surf contests and events, and it still rings with that family-friendly, mellow vibe that makes it a haven for all ages. Old Man's stands as the premier cobblestone reef peak at San Onofre, churning out consistent, forgiving rides that glisten with classic SoCal charm. Just north, The Point offers a predominantly righthander, with occasional lefts that add a dash of variety to the lineup.

Best Surf Season & Climatology

Best Surf Season (December - March)

Winter brings the most consistent combination of surf and offshore winds to San Onofre. With the North Pacific storm track firing on all cylinders, long-period groundswells from the W and WSW dominate, averaging 1.0-1.1m at 12.4-12.6s. While these swells aren't always perfectly aligned with the optimal S-SW window, the angles from WSW and W wrap nicely into the point. The real key is the wind: offshore flow from the N through ENE blows over 50% of the time in December and January, grooming the waves to perfection. The occasional Southern Hemisphere swell adds variety. This is the prime window for clean, rippable waves at San O.

Fair Surf Season (April, May, October, November)

Spring and fall offer transitional conditions. In spring, the south swell season begins to show life — April and May see increasing amounts of SW and SSW swell with longer periods (13.3-13.5s). However, the offshore wind window narrows dramatically (19% in April, 8% in May) as the Pacific high strengthens and onshore afternoon breezes become more frequent. Early mornings can still deliver clean waves before the wind kicks up. October and November see a reversal: offshore winds increase again (30% in Oct, 45% in Nov) as the high shifts, but swell from the W and WSW is still solid, though period drops slightly. These months provide a good balance but require picking the right tide and wind window.

Low Surf Season (June - September)

Summer is the most challenging time for consistent surf at San Onofre. While the southern hemisphere pumps out consistent long-period SW and SSW swell (periods 13.6-13.8s, heights around 1.0m), the onshore wind pattern dominates. The wind is ideal only 6-9% of the time, with persistent W and WSW winds creating choppy, bumpy surfaces. Despite the swell size being fun-sized, the poor wind conditions limit quality sessions to rare early morning offshore windows or when tropical systems align. It's a season for the dedicated dawn patrol and the occasional typhoon-swell winner.

Explore Annual Consistency Charts

Detailed Surf Information for San Onofre State Beach

Detailed Surf Forecast

Access our detailed 8-day swell and wind forecast charts for San Onofre State Beach with tidal graphs, period ranges, and daily forecast text summaries.

View 8-Day Forecast