Santa Cruz County, California
Skip the dawn patrol — 2-4ft and fair early on.
Best window·Monday 12PM–3PM·2-4ft·Fair
Poor today — get one free email when Natural Bridges turns Good.
Here's how the next 5 days are shaping up at Natural Bridges, Santa Cruz County, California. Each day is rated based on breaking wave height, swell period, and wind — updated hourly from the latest NOAA GFS run.
Sun, Aug 9: 2–4ft, 16s period, rated Fair. Skip the dawn patrol — 2-4ft and fair early on. Things come together by the afternoon with 2-4ft at poor.
Mon, Aug 10: 2–3+ft, 9s period, rated Fair. Dawn patrol is the move — 2-3+ft on WNW swell at 9s with glassy conditions. Onshore flow builds through the day to 8mph, bringing conditions down to poor - fair.
Tue, Aug 11: 2–3ft, 9s period, rated Fair. Expect 2-3ft all day on WNW swell at 9s with barely a breath of wind — nothing amazing but surfable. Expect the wind to bump up to around 6mph by PM.
Wed, Aug 12: 2–3ft, 9s period, rated Poor - Fair. Afternoon is the play — morning is only poor - fair at 2-3ft. Things come together by the afternoon with 2-3ft at poor - fair.
Thu, Aug 13: 2–3ft, 9s period, rated Poor - Fair. Early morning is your best window — 2-3ft waves on WNW swell at 9s with light S winds. Onshore flow builds through the day to 8mph, bringing conditions down to poor - fair.
Check Natural Bridges from the lineup
Forecasts, surf alerts, and live conditions in the Swell Intel iPhone app.
Natural Bridges is a West Side reef at the far end of West Cliff Drive, best known for the landmark rock arch offshore. The reef produces both lefts and rights and holds good size on solid WNW swells, but shallow rocks, cold water, and the relative isolation keep it an experienced-surfer spot. It is also a sensitive monarch butterfly habitat — stay off the cliff vegetation.
Wave heights shown are breaking wave heights — the actual rideable wave size at this spot.
The current wave height at Natural Bridges is 2-4ft with a 15.45s swell period. Wind is WSW at 9mph and conditions are rated Poor. The forecast updates hourly so you can plan your session around the cleanest windows.
The current breaking wave height at Natural Bridges is 2-4ft, produced by a 4.3ft WNW primary swell at 8s, a 1.9ft SSW secondary swell at 16s, a 1.4ft SSW tertiary swell at 12s, a 2.4ft NW wind swell swell at 6s. Breaking wave height is the actual rideable wave size at the shore — calculated from offshore swell data using this spot's coastal bathymetry — not the raw buoy reading.
Based on the current 5-day forecast, the best window to surf Natural Bridges is Monday from 12 PM to 3 PM with 3ft waves, a 9.25s swell period, and conditions rated Fair. Check the hourly forecast for updates as conditions can shift.
Natural Bridges works best with a WNW swell and NE winds. Offshore winds groom the face of the wave, while onshore winds turn it sloppy. Cross-offshore conditions usually produce the cleanest shape.
Tide plays a big role at Natural Bridges. Mid tide works for most beach breaks, while reef and point breaks often prefer higher or lower stages. Use the tide chart above to line up your session with the swell peak.
Natural Bridges is a reef with a reef bottom, suited to advanced surfers. Natural Bridges is a West Side reef at the far end of West Cliff Drive, best known for the landmark rock arch offshore. The reef produces both lefts and rights and holds good size on solid WNW swells, but shallow rocks, cold water, and the relative isolation keep it an experienced-surfer spot. It is also a sensitive monarch butterfly habitat — stay off the cliff vegetation.
The prime season at Natural Bridges is winter, when swell direction, wind patterns, and water temps line up most consistently. Outside the peak season you can still score, but you'll need to watch the forecast closely for the right windows.
Common hazards at Natural Bridges include shallow reef, rocks, cold water, urchins. Always check conditions before paddling out, respect local etiquette, and never surf alone if you're unfamiliar with the break.
Our Natural Bridges forecast uses NOAA GFS and other weather models combined with spot-specific bathymetry to calculate breaking wave heights. Short-range (1-3 day) forecasts are most reliable; extended forecasts show general trends. We also verify our offshore swell predictions against NOAA buoy measurements daily — see our accuracy page for those swell-verification metrics (buoys measure open-water swell, not breaking surf size).
