🇺🇸 Dana Point, California
Salt Creek Beach Surf Report
Live conditions · Updated every 30 minutes · Always free
Last updated: 12:00 PM PDT
9
/10
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Epic conditions. head high waves (4.1ft open ocean), glassy conditions and a clean outgoing tide. As good as it gets — drop everything.
⏱ Best time to paddle out
6AM – 8AM
Score 9/10 · Epic
Current Conditions
Wave Height
4.1ft
1.24m open ocean · 1.04m swell
Breaking waves typically 60–80% of this
Swell Period
13.8s
✓ Groundswell
Wind
Glassy
N · Perfect surface ✓
Water Temp
68°F
20°C · Spring suit or boardshorts
Current Tide
3.38ft
↓ Falling · MLLW
Best Window Today
6AM–8AM
Score 9/10 · Epic
Today's Surf Timeline
Hourly surf score from 5am to 9pm. Taller bar = better conditions. Best window highlighted in teal.
5AM
8
3.7ft
6AM
9
3.8ft
7AM
9
3.8ft
8AM
9
3.9ft
9AM
9
3.9ft
10AM
9
3.9ft
11AM
9
4ft
12PM
9
4.1ft
1PM
9
4.1ft
2PM
9
4.1ft
3PM
9
4.2ft
4PM
9
4.2ft
5PM
9
4.3ft
6PM
9
4.3ft
7PM
8
4.3ft
8PM
8
4.3ft
9PM
8
4.3ft
■ Epic/Great
■ Good
■ Fair
■ Poor
Today's Tides
Low Tide
3:57 AM
-0.512 ft
High Tide
10:29 AM
3.869 ft
Low Tide
2:58 PM
2.41 ft
High Tide
9:11 PM
6.127 ft
Tide data from NOAA station — Dana Point, California. Times shown in Pacific Time.
Salt Creek Beach Surf Guide
Break type Beach & Reef Break
Skill level Beginner to Advanced
Best season September – November & March – May
Best swell SW to NW, 3–6 ft
Best wind Early morning offshore E
Best tide Mid tide
Crowds Moderate — less intense than Trestles
Parking Paid parking at Salt Creek Beach Park — arrive early.
Salt Creek Beach delivers reliable, accessible surf in Dana Point. The beach break serves up consistent peaks on almost any swell, while a reef section further south produces more defined, hollow waves for experienced surfers on solid SW and NW swells.
Best Months to Surf Salt Creek Beach
Jan
NW swells, cold mornings, less crowds
Feb
Consistent NW, great off-peak sessions
Mar
Mixed swells, ideal shoulder season
Apr
Consistent and less crowded
May
Smaller surf, warm water building
Jun
Small S swells, crowded summer begins
Jul
S swell season, beach break peaks
Aug
Best S swells, warm water
Sep
S + NW combo, excellent conditions
Oct
Peak season, offshore winds return
Nov
NW swells building, less crowds
Dec
Solid NW groundswell, cold water