# La Jolla surf guide

San Diego's coastal neighbourhood with Windansea's reef peaks, La Jolla Shores for learners and Black's Beach canyon peaks.

- **Location:** San Diego, California, United States (32.8420, -117.2740)
- **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, Beach break, Point break
- **Suits:** Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced surfers
- **Interactive map, stays and what's on:** https://swellcabin.com/town/la-jolla
- **Feed (new YouTube surf videos and Instagram posts from La Jolla):** https://swellcabin.com/town/la-jolla?feed

## Live surf cams

- [Scripps Pier](https://scripps.ucsd.edu/piercam) (Scripps Pier/La Jolla): UC San Diego (Scripps), free
- [La Jolla Shores](https://hdontap.com/stream/449923/la-jolla-shores-overlook-live-webcam/): HDOnTap, free
- [Pacific Beach (Crystal Pier)](https://www.pacificterrace.com/web-cam) (Pacific Beach): Pacific Terrace Hotel, free
- [Mission Beach](https://hdontap.com/stream/475932/mission-beach-and-crystal-pier-live-webcam/) (Mission Beach (San Diego)): HDOnTap, free

## Surf pools nearby

- [DSRT Surf](https://www.dsrtsurf.com/), Palm Desert: 133 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

- **Horseshoe**: Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at mid tide, rising. Experts only. (32.8395, -117.2841)
- **Windansea Beach**: Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides (32.8294, -117.2821)
- **Scripps Pier/La Jolla**: Beach break, lefts and rights, intermediate surfers, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at mid tide (32.8642, -117.2560)
- **Birdrock**: Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at low tide (32.8142, -117.2750)
- **Torrey Pines/Blacks Beach**: Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at low to mid tide. Experts only. (32.8832, -117.2549)
- **Pacific Beach**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at mid tide. Suits all levels. (32.7964, -117.2581)
- **Mission Beach (San Diego)**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at high tide, dropping. Suits all levels. (32.7762, -117.2550)
- **Ocean beach**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE). Suits all levels. (32.7480, -117.2561)
- **Sunset Cliffs**: Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at low to mid tide (32.7159, -117.2571)
- **Point Loma**: Point break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE). Boat access only. (32.6647, -117.2459)

## What's on

La Jolla is upscale and fairly quiet at night: wine bars, cocktail lounges and restaurants in the village and along Prospect Street, with San Diego's Pacific Beach a short drive away for a livelier scene. The Sunday Open Aire farmers market is the weekly fixture.

- **Sunday:** La Jolla Open Aire farmers market at La Jolla Elementary, 7300 Girard Ave (09:00)

_Updated 2026-11-06._

## Where to stay

215 places to stay within 10 km. Surf camps: ITH Beach Bungalow Surf Hostel, Mission Beach Surf Lodge Vacation Rentals, Paskowitz Surf Camp. Hostels: Hostel San Diego, California Dreams Hostel, The Banana Bungalow, BJJ Hostel, ITH Mission Beach Backpacker Hostel.

## FAQ

### When is the best time to surf in La Jolla?

The best surf season in La Jolla 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 La Jolla?

Measured over the last three years (2023-11-01 to 2026-10-31), the waves at La Jolla's best spot were good or better most often in December (84% of days, 43% great), January (84% of days, 38% great) and February (74% of days, 29% great), and least often in July (57%). From each day's swell and wind (Open-Meteo), rated like Swell Cabin's forecast.

### Do I need a wetsuit in La Jolla?

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

### Is La Jolla good for beginner surfers?

Yes. La Jolla suits beginner, intermediate and advanced surfers; spots that work for beginners or all levels include Pacific Beach, Mission Beach (San Diego) and Ocean beach.

### What are the surf spots in La Jolla?

La Jolla has 10 surf spots on Swell Cabin: Horseshoe (Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at mid tide, rising); Windansea Beach (Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides); Scripps Pier/La Jolla (Beach break, lefts and rights, intermediate surfers, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at mid tide); Birdrock (Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at low tide); Torrey Pines/Blacks Beach (Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at low to mid tide); Pacific Beach (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at mid tide); Mission Beach (San Diego) (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at high tide, dropping); Ocean beach (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE)); Sunset Cliffs (Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at low to mid tide); Point Loma (Point break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE)).

### Where should surfers stay in La Jolla?

Swell Cabin lists 215 places to stay within 10 km of La Jolla, including 3 surf camps such as ITH Beach Bungalow Surf Hostel, Mission Beach Surf Lodge Vacation Rentals and Paskowitz Surf Camp, 5 hostels, 69 guesthouses and homestays, 41 rentals and villas. Each one shows its distance to the nearest surf spot.

### What is the nightlife like in La Jolla?

La Jolla is upscale and fairly quiet at night: wine bars, cocktail lounges and restaurants in the village and along Prospect Street, with San Diego's Pacific Beach a short drive away for a livelier scene. The Sunday Open Aire farmers market is the weekly fixture. Regular nights: Sunday: La Jolla Open Aire farmers market at La Jolla Elementary, 7300 Girard Ave.

### What is the surf forecast for La Jolla this week?

Swell Cabin shows a live 7-day surf forecast for La Jolla and each of its 10 surf spots on https://swellcabin.com/town/la-jolla: 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 La Jolla?

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 La Jolla 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 (3 km away).

### How accurate is the surf forecast for La Jolla?

Swell Cabin checks it against the SCRIPPS Nearshore, CA buoy (3 km away, NOAA NDBC): over 1097 hours from 2026-09-21 to 2026-11-05 the forecast wave height was within 20% of the buoy 61% of the time after correcting the wave model, which ran 45% high there (22% 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 La Jolla?

Trust in this page's data is high (98/100): the town was verified against sources in the last 12 months; 10 of 10 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 2026-11-08. 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 La Jolla?

Yes: Scripps Pier (Scripps Pier/La Jolla) on UC San Diego (Scripps) (free); La Jolla Shores on HDOnTap (free); Pacific Beach (Crystal Pier) (Pacific Beach) on Pacific Terrace Hotel (free); Mission Beach (Mission Beach (San Diego)) on HDOnTap (free). Swell Cabin checks these cams regularly.

### Is there a surf pool (wave pool) near La Jolla?

Yes: DSRT Surf in Palm Desert (133 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 La Jolla?

Surf schools in and around La Jolla include Whispering Sands, Surf Education Academy, Surf Diva Surf School, Menehune Surf School La Jolla, Hogans and La Jolla Shores Surfing Association.