Santa Cruz County, California
Early morning is your best window — 3-4ft waves on S swell at 15s with glassy conditions.
Early morning is your best window — 3-4ft waves on S swell at 15s with glassy conditions.
Best window·Monday 10AM–1PM·4-5ft·Good
Here's how the next 5 days are shaping up at The Hook, 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: 4–5ft, 16s period, rated Good. Early morning is your best window — 3-4ft waves on S swell at 15s with glassy conditions. Wind fills in through the day, pushing up to 15mph from the WSW and dropping conditions to very poor.
Mon, Sep 7: 4–5ft, 15s period, rated Good. First light looks cleanest — 4-5ft on S swell at 15s with glassy conditions. Wind fills in through the day, pushing up to 12mph from the WSW and dropping conditions to very poor.
Tue, Sep 8: 4–5ft, 12s period, rated Good. Early morning is your best window — 4-5ft waves on S swell at 12s with light NNE winds. It gets a bit messier later in the day.
Wed, Sep 9: 2–3ft, 11s period, rated Fair. Dawn patrol is the move — 2-3ft on S swell at 11s with gentle N breeze. Onshore flow builds through the day to 8mph, bringing conditions down to very poor.
Thu, Sep 10: 3–4ft, 12s period, rated Poor - Fair. Dawn patrol is the move — 2-3ft on SSW swell at 11s with barely a breath of wind. 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 The Hook from the lineup
Forecasts, surf alerts, and live conditions in the Swell Intel iPhone app.
The Hook sits at the south end of Pleasure Point and is the friendly stepping-stone for surfers moving up from beach breaks. The right-hand reef peels with a long walled-up inside section that rewards patient line choice, and it is one of the busiest waves on the coast on any given morning. Wall-to-wall longboards, mid-lengths and shortboards share a tight take-off zone.
Wave heights shown are breaking wave heights — the actual rideable wave size at this spot.
The current wave height at The Hook is 3-4ft with a 15.4s swell period. Wind is E 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 The Hook 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 The Hook is Monday from 10 AM to 1 PM with 4ft waves, a 14.2s swell period, and conditions rated Good. Check the hourly forecast for updates as conditions can shift.
The Hook 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 The Hook. 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.
The Hook is a point with a reef bottom, suited to intermediate surfers. The Hook sits at the south end of Pleasure Point and is the friendly stepping-stone for surfers moving up from beach breaks. The right-hand reef peels with a long walled-up inside section that rewards patient line choice, and it is one of the busiest waves on the coast on any given morning. Wall-to-wall longboards, mid-lengths and shortboards share a tight take-off zone.
The prime season at The Hook 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 The Hook include crowds, longboards, rocks, cold water, stairway access. Always check conditions before paddling out, respect local etiquette, and never surf alone if you're unfamiliar with the break.
Our The Hook 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).
