San Diego is the epicenter of surfing in the mainland United States, it’s in our DNA. The greats of surfboard design—Skip Frye, Rusty Preisendorfer, Gary Linden and Justin Ternes—got their start in the city. The fish and the egg surfboard shapes were first pioneered in San Diego waters and are largely associated with the city’s surf culture. And beyond its storied history, San Diego is also graced with miles of surf ranging from sloping beach breaks to pitching reef breaks and even a couple of point breaks. No matter what type of swell, there’s usually something to surf in San Diego. So, with reverence and stoke, we’re bringing you the ultimate guide to San Diego’s top surf spots. See you in the lineup.
Jump to breaks by skill: Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced
Tips for Surfing in San Diego
Before we paddle out, some helpful wisdom from a lifetime of surfing San Diego:
- While there are rideable swells all year, the best times to surf are fall and winter.
- Conditions can be fickle, and Surfline isn’t always accurate. When in doubt, bring two boards: your go-to for the best-case forecast and a longboard or fish in case it’s smaller.
- Localism isn’t usually an issue in San Diego unless you’re dropping in on the locals and getting in other surfers’ way. When in doubt, surf at a more beginner-friendly spot. Tourmaline is your friend.
- The stingray shuffle is a must, but sometimes bad luck is just bad luck. If you get stung, soak your foot with hot water (as hot as you can bear) to slowly extract the venom. My current sting count is three.
- Jellyfish are known to surface from time to time. I’ve rarely encountered them in the water, only dead ones on the beach. Contrary to popular belief, urine can actually exacerbate the pain and embarrassment. Hot water is the key.
- Looking to rent gear? Check out our guide to the best surf shops in town. Rent before you buy, and when it’s time to buy support your local shaper.
Beginner San Diego Surf Spots
Tourmaline
Tourmaline is San Diego’s Malibu—a consistent beach break north of Crystal Pier enjoyed by expert longboarders, the most beginner of beginners, and the occasional shortboarder on bigger days. Tourmaline isn’t just a surf spot; it’s a community—of sorts. It’s not uncommon to see 12 people paddling for the same wave, three actually catch the wave, and finally one or two ride the wave to shore.
Typically, more advanced surfers will ride the peak just in front of the Tourmaline parking lot or will paddle out to PB Point when larger swells refract into long dreamy rights. Beginner surfers should stick to the less crowded sections around Law Street down to the pier, where the crowds thin and offer plenty of waves to go around.
Ideal Swell Direction: W, NW, SW
Break type: Beach break
Board choice: Longboard or fish; soft-top on crowded days
Hazards: Crowds, rocks, Wavestorm projectiles
Parking: Try to snag a spot at the Tourmaline parking lot or find street parking around Law Street.
Mission Beach
Mission Beach is quintessential San Diego—hippies, an iconic boardwalk and plenty of sandbars stretching from Mission Jetty toward Belmont Park. The jetty is the most consistent surf spot in Mission Beach due to the structure, which is ideal for northwest swells that benefit from the wind protection from the south. It’s also got an upfront parking lot that’s typically full of loitering stoners and parking wars in the summer, but can be useful in a pinch during the colder months. The waves tend to bowl up, offering fast and rippable waves that are great for practicing snaps and airs.
While the jetty is the main draw, sandbars further north toward Belmont Park offer punchy waves that are popular with bodyboarders and shortboarders on a good swell. Crowds can definitely be a factor, especially during the summer, where you’ll dodge locals, bodyboarders, and out-of-towners experiencing the ocean for the first time. Do the stingray shuffle, watch out for the occasional jellyfish during the summer, and look both ways for “SloMo” (the rollerblading regular) before crossing the boardwalk.
Ideal Swell Direction: NW to W
Break type: Beach break
Board choice: Fish or shortboard
Hazards: Crowds, stingrays, boardwalk collisions
Parking: Mission Jetty parking lot, Belmont parking lot or street parking along Mission Boulevard.
San Elijo
This North County spot is the ideal reef break for beginner surfers getting their bearings—hence the Cardiff Kook statue. While beginner-friendly, the spot is a consistent wave machine thanks to the rocky reef, which produces peeling lefts and rights for surfers of all levels. It’s not uncommon to get out-paddled by longboarders, so consider bringing more board than you need to beat the crowds.
On weekends the place can be a bit of a zoo, but there are generally plenty of peaks from the mellow, southernmost Tippers peak to the more advanced Pipes break further north. The spot offers long rides which can take you from the campgrounds down to Cardiff on the right day.
For the best experience, book a campsite at San Elijo campground and have yourself the ultimate staycation surf trip, hitting dawn patrol and sunset sessions. For dinner, walk a block into town and get yourself a slab of Cardiff Crack to throw on your camping stove for the ultimate post-surf meal.
Ideal Swell Direction: NW, W
Break type: Rocky reef break
Board choice: Longboard up to a shortboard on bigger days
Hazards: Reef on low-tide, crowds on weekends
Parking: Parking along Highway 101 or at the campground with a site.
Intermediate San Diego Surf Spots
Scripps Pier and La Jolla Shores
If you can find a parking spot, Scripps Pier is a real gem. The beach break picks up swells from most directions and is the ultimate proving ground to step up your surfing, whether that be hitting your first air, hunting for an elusive tube or practicing your snaps. The lineup can get crowded at Scripps, but there are often plenty of peaks in between the crowds if you’re vigilant. At the south end, you have La Jolla Shores, which is often an obstacle course of dodging Wavestorms, swimmers and kooks.
South of the pier is your best bet at Scripps offering consistent rights along the pylons with peaks scattered towards La Jolla Shores. When the waves are pumping, the north side of the pier has remarkably consistent peaks if you can dodge pier pylons and groms working on their air reverses. The paddle out can be a bit of a shoulder burner on bigger days, so paddle out near the pier to ride the conveyor belt-like current out to the lineup.
Ideal Swell Direction: SW, W, NW
Break type: Beach break
Board choice: Shortboard or fish; avoid longboards on crowded days
Hazards: Crowds and reef at the northern edge of Scripps
Parking: La Jolla Shores parking lot or street parking around El Paseo Grande for Scripps.
Oceanside
Oceanside is a quintessential North County surf spot, offering consistent beach break waves from the harbor entrance all the way to Tyson Park. The south side is generally known for its punchy, hollow rights and lefts, while the north side can be a bit more forgiving and beginner-friendly. The pier itself is a swell magnet, often picking up waves when other spots are flat. While the spot is ideal for intermediate and advanced surfers, it can be a good spot for beginners when it’s under three feet.
The lineup can get crowded, especially on weekends and during the summer, but there are multiple peaks to spread out. Better surfers will typically set up close to the pier pylons, so head a bit further north for less crowded peaks. After a session, fuel up at Local Tap House or Harney Sushi Oceanside.
Ideal Swell Direction: W, NW, SW
Break type: Beach break
Board choice: Shortboard, fish or longboard
Hazards: Pollution after rain and strong currents
Parking: Large parking lot at the end of Mission Avenue and street parking nearby.
Sunset Cliffs
“Iconic” is an understatement—Sunset Cliffs is the definition of old-school San Diego surf culture. Sunset Cliffs is usually working under most swell conditions across three miles of unique breaks. You can surf the beginner-friendly waves at No Surf (ironically named) in the north, while intermediate and advanced surfers can find rippable reef breaks at Garbage Beach and Luscombs.
While traversing the unstable cliffs deters some, others reap the reward of this fun reef break that benefits from wind-protecting cliffs and a massive kelp bed outside the break which smooths out the chop when the rest of San Diego’s waves are crumbly. The spot works best during low to mid-tide and provides a massive canvas for you to carve anything from longboards and mid-lengths to shortboards during bigger swells.
Take a board that you’re comfortable paddling a bunch, but also realize you’re going to be lugging that thing back up the cliffs. Entering and exiting the surf during high tide is the biggest pain about surfing Sunset Cliffs.
Ideal Swell Direction: W, NW, SW
Break type: Reef break
Board choice: Longboard or mid-length; shortboards when it’s big enough
Hazards: Rocky reef and unstable cliffs
Parking: Sunset Cliffs Natural Park or street parking around Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.
Swami’s
The closest thing we get to a wave machine in San Diego County proper is Swami’s. The killer point break is located just below Encinitas‘ iconic Self-Realization Temple, which shrouds the spot with a unique mysticism and comes alive during winter swells. The point break produces consistent “leg burners,” allowing you to work on your carving while dodging traffic in the water. On bigger days, it’s the spot to be, making that canvas even better for sweeping turns and bringing out local legends like Rob Machado and Taylor Knox.
On the outside, locals on logs often hold down the long rolling sets, while further inside shortboarders hunt for the steeper bowl sections. On the paddle out, you’ll encounter cobblestone rocks especially at low tide so keep your duck dives shallow to avoid dings. If you do, just grab a used board at Hansen’s just up the street and tell them I sent you.
Ideal Swell Direction: W and NW
Break type: Point break
Board choice: Anything between a shortboard and longboard
Hazards: Drop-ins, rocks
Parking: Street parking along Highway 101.
Advanced San Diego Surf Spots
Windansea
Windansea is arguably San Diego’s most recognizable surf spot with its iconic shack and reputation for being one of the city’s more localized breaks. The spot is home to one of the city’s oldest surf communities, dating back to the early 1900s, and is the home of the Windansea Surf Club, first founded in the 1960s by surf pioneers Mike Hynson, Skip Frye, and others. The reef break works best on more powerful swells, which can create clean A-frame waves—fun rights and steeper lefts when the waves allow.
The reef can be a factor on lower tides, so it’s best to spread out like a starfish when you bail to avoid getting “cheese-grated.” On bigger days, the lineup can be filled with San Diego’s most talented surfers, including Joel and Tosh Tudor, Skip McCullough, and more, so watch who you’re dropping in on.
Ideal Swell Direction: NW, SW
Break type: Reef break
Board choice: Longboard or midlength for outside; shortboard or fish for the inside section
Hazards: Reef, localism
Parking: Street parking around Neptune Place and Nautilus Street.
Trestles
While technically located on the edge of Orange County, Trestles is a world-class surf spot that every San Diego surfer should experience. Part of California surfing history, Trestles was the testing ground for SoCal’s innovative board builders in the ‘60s and a pillar of the World Surf League tour each year for good reason. This break is arguably the most dependable wave in California due to cobblestones that forge consistent waves that serve as canvases for surfers from nose-riders to high-performance shortboarders and everything in-between.
While it isn’t a treacherous spot, surfers are required to have an acute sense of surfing etiquette—knowing who has the right of way when five surfers have a paddle battle for the same wave; the ability to dodge a “yard sale” of boards, fins, and beginners effectively; and the ability to make the most of the coveted waves that finally come your way. Trestles has a break for everyone: Lowers is the star of the show (home to the WSL Finals) offering perfect, high-performance rights, Uppers offers slightly mellower but still rippable waves, Church gives fast, hollow rights, and Cottons serves up fun lefts for the folks that like riding anything from Takayama longboards to mid-lengths. The biggest hazard in the lineup is yourself—watch for cobblestones on exit, e-bike riders, and rattlesnakes on your way to SoCal’s greatest wave.
Ideal Swell Direction: SW, W, NW
Break Type: Point break
Board choice: Shortboard for Lowers, shortboard or midlength for Middles and Uppers, longboard for Cottons
Hazards: Other surfers, cobblestones
Parking: Street parking off the Cristianitos exit or at the San Onofre Bluffs Campground.
Blacks Beach
Blacks is San Diego’s premier big wave. Like a moat that surrounds a castle, you have to navigate 200-foot cliffs, big sets, and the occasional naked hippie before making it to the lineup. Blacks’ bathymetry attracts the biggest swells to hit San Diego due to its massive Scripps Canyon that plunges 1,000 feet deep across a mile of the beach. To get there, park at the Torrey Pines Gliderport, which can serve as overflow parking at UC San Diego during the school year, and make your way down one of Blacks’ trails to the beach.
The result is massive waves that funnel through this underwater canyon, providing the most hollow waves for San Diego’s top surfers. During the biggest swells, Blacks can reach upward of 20 feet and can be a torturous test of endurance for the most unhinged surfers. Besides massive waves in the winter, surfers need to watch out for falling cliffs (the last collapse happened in 2023 after a large rainfall), strong currents and the occasional great white sighting, thanks to the undisturbed Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
Ideal Swell Direction: W, NW, SW
Break type: Beach break
Board choice: Shortboard or gun when it’s big
Hazards: Rip currents, canyon sets, occasional shark sightings
Parking: Torrey Pines Gliderport
