# Huntington Beach surf guide

'Surf City USA': consistent pier peaks, the US Open of Surfing and a surf museum and walk of fame on Main Street.

- **Location:** California, United States (33.6600, -118.0000)
- **Best season:** Oct – Mar (October, November, December, January, February, March)
- **Water:** 14–21°C (shorty or rash vest (warmest) to 4/3 mm (coldest))
- **Waves:** Beach break, River mouth
- **Suits:** Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced surfers
- **Interactive map, stays and what's on:** https://swellcabin.com/town/huntington-beach
- **Feed (new YouTube surf videos and Instagram posts from Huntington Beach):** https://swellcabin.com/town/huntington-beach?feed

## Live surf cams

- [View from the pier](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhQjsLBfOoY): City of Huntington Beach (YouTube), free

## Surf pools nearby

- [DSRT Surf](https://www.dsrtsurf.com/), Palm Desert: 151 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 clips

- [Swell Is PUMPING & Surfers Were ON IT at The Huntington Beach Pier! (January 7th 2026)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10ujPTV78UY) (I'm A Surfer, Dude on YouTube)
- [Perfect Glassy Morning with Pro Surfers at HB Pier!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2ASVprkRJg) (I'm A Surfer, Dude on YouTube)
- [Surfing at Huntington Beach Pier](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SbuecocgOA) (Richard Yates on YouTube)

## Surf spots

- **Santa Ana River Jetties**: River mouth, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE), best at low or high (33.6276, -117.9590)
- **Bolsa Chica**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide. Suits all levels. (33.6953, -118.0509)
- **Newport Beach**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at low tide, rising. Suits all levels. (33.6193, -117.9430)
- **36th St Newport**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide. Suits all levels. (33.6147, -117.9378)
- **Blackies**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at low tide, rising. Longboard wave; popular with beginners. (33.6071, -117.9300)
- **Surfside Jetty**: Beach break, left-hander, all levels, best at low tide (33.7292, -118.0901)
- **13th Street**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE) (33.7365, -118.1030)
- **Seal Beach Pier**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE), best at low to mid tide, rising (33.7376, -118.1071)
- **The Wedge**: Beach break, left-hander, advanced surfers, best at mid tide, rising. Experts only. (33.5931, -117.8820)
- **Corona Del Mar Jetty**: Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, best at low tide (33.5920, -117.8770)
- **Morro Beach**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at low to mid tide (33.5570, -117.8201)

## What's on

Huntington Beach's evenings centre on downtown Main Street and the pier: bars, rooftop spots and live-music pubs, busiest at weekends. The big weekly fixture is Surf City Nights on Tuesday, when Main Street closes for a farmers' market, food stalls and live music.

- **Tuesday:** Surf City Nights street fair & farmers market at Main Street (PCH to Orange Ave) (16:30)

_Updated 2026-11-05._

## Where to stay

179 places to stay within 10 km. Surf camps: Huntington Surf Inn, Erik Nelsen Surf Camps, Salty Grom Surf Camp, Surf House Apartments, Newport Surf Camp, Ocean Surf Inn & Suites, Ocean Surf Inn & Suites.

## FAQ

### When is the best time to surf in Huntington Beach?

The best surf season in Huntington Beach is Oct – Mar (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 Huntington Beach?

Measured over the last three years (2023-11-01 to 2026-10-31), the waves at Huntington Beach's best spot were good or better most often in January (88% of days, 33% great), December (76% of days, 35% great) and November (79% of days, 23% great), and least often in May (47%). From each day's swell and wind (Open-Meteo), rated like Swell Cabin's forecast.

### Do I need a wetsuit in Huntington Beach?

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

### Is Huntington Beach good for beginner surfers?

Yes. Huntington Beach suits beginner, intermediate and advanced surfers; spots that work for beginners or all levels include Bolsa Chica, Newport Beach, 36th St Newport, Blackies and Surfside Jetty.

### What are the surf spots in Huntington Beach?

Huntington Beach has 11 surf spots on Swell Cabin: Santa Ana River Jetties (River mouth, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE), best at low or high); Bolsa Chica (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide); Newport Beach (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at low tide, rising); 36th St Newport (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide); Blackies (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at low tide, rising); Surfside Jetty (Beach break, left-hander, all levels, best at low tide); 13th Street (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE)); Seal Beach Pier (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE), best at low to mid tide, rising); The Wedge (Beach break, left-hander, advanced surfers, best at mid tide, rising); Corona Del Mar Jetty (Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, best at low tide); Morro Beach (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at low to mid tide).

### Where should surfers stay in Huntington Beach?

Swell Cabin lists 179 places to stay within 10 km of Huntington Beach, including 7 surf camps such as Huntington Surf Inn, Erik Nelsen Surf Camps, Salty Grom Surf Camp and Surf House Apartments, 48 guesthouses and homestays, 13 rentals and villas. Each one shows its distance to the nearest surf spot.

### What is the nightlife like in Huntington Beach?

Huntington Beach's evenings centre on downtown Main Street and the pier: bars, rooftop spots and live-music pubs, busiest at weekends. The big weekly fixture is Surf City Nights on Tuesday, when Main Street closes for a farmers' market, food stalls and live music. Regular nights: Tuesday: Surf City Nights street fair & farmers market at Main Street (PCH to Orange Ave).

### What is the surf forecast for Huntington Beach this week?

Swell Cabin shows a live 7-day surf forecast for Huntington Beach and each of its 11 surf spots on https://swellcabin.com/town/huntington-beach: 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 Huntington Beach?

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 Huntington Beach 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 Santa Ana River Entrance (Inside) tide gauge (5 km away).

### How accurate is the surf forecast for Huntington Beach?

Swell Cabin checks it against the San Pedro South, CA buoy (19 km away, NOAA NDBC): over 1099 hours from 2026-09-21 to 2026-11-05 the forecast wave height was within 20% of the buoy 86% of the time after correcting the wave model, which ran 12% low there (80% before). Last checked 2026-11-05.

### How reliable is Swell Cabin's information about Huntington Beach?

Trust in this page's data is high (99/100): the town was verified against sources in the last 12 months; 11 of 11 spots fully verified, 10 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 2026-11-06. 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 Huntington Beach?

Yes: View from the pier on City of Huntington Beach (YouTube) (free). Swell Cabin checks these cams regularly.

### Is there a surf pool (wave pool) near Huntington Beach?

Yes: DSRT Surf in Palm Desert (151 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 Huntington Beach?

Surf schools in and around Huntington Beach include Surfboard and Bike Rentals, Surf City Segway, Gypsea Life Surf, Surfriders Academy Surf School, HB Pier and HB Surf School.