Santa Cruz County, California
First light looks cleanest — 1-2ft on S swell at 15s with glassy conditions.
First light looks cleanest — 1-2ft on S swell at 15s with glassy conditions.
Conditions stay similar this week — check the hourly forecast at Seabright Beach for the cleanest windows.
Here's how the next 5 days are shaping up at Seabright Beach, 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: 1–2ft, 16s period, rated Poor - Fair. First light looks cleanest — 1-2ft on S swell at 15s with glassy conditions. Wind fills in through the day, pushing up to 17mph from the W and dropping conditions to very poor.
Mon, Sep 7: 1–2ft, 15s period, rated Poor - Fair. First light looks cleanest — 1-2ft on S swell at 15s with calm winds. Onshore flow builds through the day to 14mph, bringing conditions down to poor.
Tue, Sep 8: 1–2ft, 12s period, rated Poor. First light looks cleanest — 1-2ft on S swell at 12s with gentle NNE breeze. Things get a bit scrappier as the day goes on.
Wed, Sep 9: 0–1ft, 11s period, rated Very Poor. Not the most exciting day — 0-1ft and very poor conditions with light winds out of the N. Expect the wind to bump up to around 8mph by PM.
Thu, Sep 10: 1–2ft, 12s period, rated Very Poor. Not the most exciting day — 0-1ft and very poor conditions with glassy conditions. Winds do pick up a bit by the afternoon to 8mph.
Two days at a glance. Swipe for later hours.Five days at a glance. Drag for later hours.
Poor - Fair today — get one free email when Seabright Beach turns Good.
Check Seabright Beach from the lineup
Forecasts, surf alerts, and live conditions in the Swell Intel iPhone app.
Seabright is a long exposed beach break just east of the Santa Cruz Harbor jetty. The jetty influences sand movement and shapes shifting sandbar peaks, with the best conditions on a combo NW/S swell. It is the closest spot to town but sees a fraction of the Pleasure Point crowd, making it a solid everyday option for intermediates.
Wave heights shown are breaking wave heights — the actual rideable wave size at this spot.
The current wave height at Seabright Beach is 1-2ft with a 15.4s swell period. Wind is NNW at 2mph. Conditions are rated Poor - Fair. The forecast updates hourly so you can plan your session around the cleanest windows.
The current breaking wave height at Seabright Beach is 1-2ft, 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 Seabright Beach is Monday from 8 AM to 11 AM with 1ft waves, a 14.3s swell period, and conditions rated Poor - Fair. Check the hourly forecast for updates as conditions can shift.
Seabright Beach works best with a S 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 Seabright Beach. 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.
Seabright Beach is a beach with a sand bottom, suited to intermediate surfers. Seabright is a long exposed beach break just east of the Santa Cruz Harbor jetty. The jetty influences sand movement and shapes shifting sandbar peaks, with the best conditions on a combo NW/S swell. It is the closest spot to town but sees a fraction of the Pleasure Point crowd, making it a solid everyday option for intermediates.
The prime season at Seabright Beach is fall, 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 Seabright Beach include rip currents, cold water, jetty boat traffic, shifting sandbars. Always check conditions before paddling out, respect local etiquette, and never surf alone if you're unfamiliar with the break.
Our Seabright Beach 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).
