# Encinitas surf guide

North County San Diego town with Swami's right point beneath the Self-Realization Fellowship gardens and reefs in every direction.

- **Location:** California, United States (33.0370, -117.2920)
- **Best season:** Sep – Mar (September, October, November, December, January, February, March)
- **Water:** 14–21°C (shorty or rash vest (warmest) to 4/3 mm (coldest))
- **Waves:** Reef break, Point break, Beach break
- **Suits:** Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced surfers
- **Interactive map, stays and what's on:** https://swellcabin.com/town/encinitas
- **Feed (new YouTube surf videos and Instagram posts from Encinitas):** https://swellcabin.com/town/encinitas?feed

## Live surf cams

- [Moonlight Beach](https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/united-states/california/encinitas/encinitas-california.html) (Moonlight): SkylineWebcams, free
- [Del Mar](https://hdontap.com/stream/199841/del-mar-beach-north-live-webcam/): HDOnTap, free

## Surf pools nearby

- [DSRT Surf](https://www.dsrtsurf.com/), Palm Desert: 118 km away, Wavegarden Cove. 105 Wave Drive, Palm Desert, California. The largest Wavegarden Cove in North America; learn to surf up to pro barrels and airs.

## Surf spots

- **Swamis**: Point break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at low to mid tide (33.0345, -117.2950)
- **Moonlight**: Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at mid tide (33.0482, -117.3001)
- **Cardiff Reef**: Reef break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides, rising. Suits all levels. (33.0148, -117.2846)
- **Beacons**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at mid tide. Suits all levels. (33.0645, -117.3064)
- **Grandview**: Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides, rising (33.0758, -117.3112)
- **Solana Beach**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E). Suits all levels. (32.9901, -117.2700)
- **Ponto**: Beach break, left-hander, all levels, best at low to mid tide. Suits all levels. (33.0886, -117.3150)
- **North Del Mar**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at low to mid tide. Suits all levels. (32.9753, -117.2709)
- **Del Mar**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at low to mid tide. Suits all levels. (32.9591, -117.2679)

## What's on

Encinitas is a relaxed beach town with a lively Coast Highway 101 strip: happy hours from mid-afternoon, live music in bars like Le Papagayo in Leucadia and weekend bands and DJs downtown, plus Sunday farmers markets. Nights wind down fairly early; San Diego has the big clubs.

- **Monday:** Live music (most nights) at Le Papagayo, Leucadia
- **Tuesday:** Live music (most nights) at Le Papagayo, Leucadia
- **Wednesday:** Live music (most nights) at Le Papagayo, Leucadia
- **Thursday:** Live music (most nights) at Le Papagayo, Leucadia
- **Friday:** Live music (most nights) at Le Papagayo, Leucadia
- **Saturday:** Live music (most nights) at Le Papagayo, Leucadia
- **Sunday:** Encinitas Farmers Market at 185 Union St (10:00); Leucadia Farmers Market at Oak Crest Middle School, 675 Encinitas Blvd (10:00); Live music (most nights) at Le Papagayo, Leucadia

_Updated 2026-11-04._

## Where to stay

143 places to stay within 10 km. Surf camps: Moonlight Beach Surf Camps, Surfhouse, Sol Surf Camp.

## FAQ

### When is the best time to surf in Encinitas?

The best surf season in Encinitas is Sep – Mar (September, October, November, December, January, February, March). The sea ranges from 14°C to 21°C over the year.

### Which months have the most good surf days in Encinitas?

Measured over the last three years (2023-11-01 to 2026-10-31), the waves at Encinitas's best spot were good or better most often in December (82% of days, 38% great), November (84% of days, 26% great) and January (81% of days, 27% great), and least often in April (59%). From each day's swell and wind (Open-Meteo), rated like Swell Cabin's forecast.

### Do I need a wetsuit in Encinitas?

Water temperature in Encinitas is 14–21°C: shorty or rash vest (warmest) to 4/3 mm (coldest).

### Is Encinitas good for beginner surfers?

Yes. Encinitas suits beginner, intermediate and advanced surfers; spots that work for beginners or all levels include Cardiff Reef, Beacons, Solana Beach, Ponto and North Del Mar.

### What are the surf spots in Encinitas?

Encinitas has 9 surf spots on Swell Cabin: Swamis (Point break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at low to mid tide); Moonlight (Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at mid tide); Cardiff Reef (Reef break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides, rising); Beacons (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at mid tide); Grandview (Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides, rising); Solana Beach (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E)); Ponto (Beach break, left-hander, all levels, best at low to mid tide); North Del Mar (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at low to mid tide); Del Mar (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at low to mid tide).

### Where should surfers stay in Encinitas?

Swell Cabin lists 143 places to stay within 10 km of Encinitas, including 3 surf camps such as Moonlight Beach Surf Camps, Surfhouse and Sol Surf Camp, 22 guesthouses and homestays, 27 rentals and villas. Each one shows its distance to the nearest surf spot.

### What is the nightlife like in Encinitas?

Encinitas is a relaxed beach town with a lively Coast Highway 101 strip: happy hours from mid-afternoon, live music in bars like Le Papagayo in Leucadia and weekend bands and DJs downtown, plus Sunday farmers markets. Nights wind down fairly early; San Diego has the big clubs. Regular nights: Sunday: Encinitas Farmers Market at 185 Union St; Sunday: Leucadia Farmers Market at Oak Crest Middle School, 675 Encinitas Blvd.

### What is the surf forecast for Encinitas this week?

Swell Cabin shows a live 7-day surf forecast for Encinitas and each of its 9 surf spots on https://swellcabin.com/town/encinitas: each spot rated hour by hour (Flat, Poor, Fair, Good, Great or Epic) from the way its coast faces, the swell, its period, the wind and the tide, with the best time each day and why, the size in surfers' words (e.g. "chest to head high, clean"), tides, and how sure the forecast is (three wave models compared). It is checked live against the nearest buoy and airport wind reports where there are any, and refreshed every few hours (waves from Open-Meteo, wind from MET Norway).

### When is the best tide to surf in Encinitas?

It depends on the spot: shallow reefs usually want mid to high tide, most beach breaks work best around mid tide. Swell Cabin's forecast for Encinitas weighs each spot's tide hour by hour and shows the best window each day with the high and low tide times, predicted from the La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) tide gauge (19 km away).

### How accurate is the surf forecast for Encinitas?

Swell Cabin checks it against the Leucadia Nearshore, CA buoy (3 km away, NOAA NDBC): over 1096 hours from 2026-09-21 to 2026-11-05 the forecast wave height was within 20% of the buoy 90% of the time after correcting the wave model, which ran 15% high there (78% before); the correction applies to the spots that face the same sea as the buoy. Last checked 2026-11-05.

### How reliable is Swell Cabin's information about Encinitas?

Trust in this page's data is low (54/100): the town has not been verified against sources in the last 12 months; 0 of 9 spots fully verified, 8 with a researched tide; season and water temperature checked against measured data; no open audit warnings. How we check: https://github.com/danielgalam/swellcabin/blob/main/docs/data-accuracy.md Last checked against sources on 2026-11-05. Every value comes from measured data (Open-Meteo, buoys), open databases (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata) or a published page we opened, never from visitor reports; a daily audit compares them and a weekly evaluation measures the error rate (https://github.com/danielgalam/swellcabin/blob/main/docs/data-quality.md).

### Is there a live surf cam in Encinitas?

Yes: Moonlight Beach (Moonlight) on SkylineWebcams (free); Del Mar on HDOnTap (free). Swell Cabin checks these cams regularly.

### Is there a surf pool (wave pool) near Encinitas?

Yes: DSRT Surf in Palm Desert (118 km away, Wavegarden Cove, https://www.dsrtsurf.com/). A wave pool works when the sea is flat and is a good place to learn or train; check its website for sessions and seasons.

### Where can I take surf lessons in Encinitas?

Surf schools in and around Encinitas include Bubble Gum Surf Wax, Swami's Seaside Park, Destination Surf, Boneyard's, Leucadia Surf School and Eli Howard Surf School.