Santa Cruz County, California
Hold off if you can — morning starts out fair with 3-4ft waves.
Hold off if you can — morning starts out fair with 3-4ft waves.
Best window·Monday 11AM–2PM·3-4ft·Good
Here's how the next 5 days are shaping up at Pleasure Point, 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, Sep 6: 3–4ft, 16s period, rated Fair. Hold off if you can — morning starts out fair with 2-3+ft waves. Later in the day looks more promising — 3-4ft and very poor.
Mon, Sep 7: 3–4ft, 15s period, rated Good. Dawn patrol is the move — 3-4ft on S swell at 15s with calm winds. The WSW wind kicks in by afternoon — 12mph and very poor by then.
Tue, Sep 8: 3–4ft, 12s period, rated Good. Get out early for the best of it — 3-4ft waves on S swell at 12s and gentle NNE breeze. Conditions go downhill through the afternoon.
Wed, Sep 9: 2–3ft, 11s period, rated Fair. Dawn patrol is the move — 2-3ft on S swell at 11s with light N winds. The W wind kicks in by afternoon — 8mph and very poor by then.
Thu, Sep 10: 2–3ft, 12s period, rated Poor - Fair. Get out early for the best of it — 2-3ft waves on SSW swell at 11s and calm winds. Wind fills in through the day, pushing up to 8mph from the SSW and dropping conditions to poor.
Two days at a glance. Swipe for later hours.Five days at a glance. Drag for later hours.
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Check Pleasure Point from the lineup
Forecasts, surf alerts, and live conditions in the Swell Intel iPhone app.
Pleasure Point is the anchor of East Side Santa Cruz surfing, a long reef-point lineup with distinct take-off zones (First Peak, Sewer Peak, 36th Ave, 38th Ave) that peel right across cobblestone reef. The wave is a forgiving medium-performance right that handles size but is legendarily crowded on any decent swell. Local etiquette is strict — get in the right order before dropping in.
Wave heights shown are breaking wave heights — the actual rideable wave size at this spot.
The current wave height at Pleasure Point is 3-4ft with a 15.4s swell period. Wind is SE at 0mph. Conditions are rated Good. The forecast updates hourly so you can plan your session around the cleanest windows.
The current breaking wave height at Pleasure Point is 3-4ft, produced by a 3ft SSW primary swell at 15s, a 2.4ft WNW wind swell swell at 4s, a 2.2ft NW tertiary swell at 9s, a 0.8ft W tertiary swell at 13s. 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 Pleasure Point is Monday from 11 AM to 2 PM with 4ft waves, a 14.1s swell period, and conditions rated Good. Check the hourly forecast for updates as conditions can shift.
Pleasure Point works best with a WSW 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 Pleasure Point. 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.
Pleasure Point is a point with a reef bottom, suited to intermediate surfers. Pleasure Point is the anchor of East Side Santa Cruz surfing, a long reef-point lineup with distinct take-off zones (First Peak, Sewer Peak, 36th Ave, 38th Ave) that peel right across cobblestone reef. The wave is a forgiving medium-performance right that handles size but is legendarily crowded on any decent swell. Local etiquette is strict — get in the right order before dropping in.
The prime season at Pleasure Point 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 Pleasure Point include crowds, localism, rocks, cold water, paddleboard traffic. Always check conditions before paddling out, respect local etiquette, and never surf alone if you're unfamiliar with the break.
Our Pleasure Point 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).
