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San Clemente surf guide

Home of Trestles — Lowers is one of the best high-performance waves in the world — and a hub of the surf industry.

Location

California, United States (33.4270, -117.6120)

Best season

Apr – Oct: April, May, June, July, August, September, October

Water temperature

15–22°C (shorty or rash vest (warmest) to 4/3 mm (coldest))

Waves

Point break, Reef break, Beach break

Suits

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced surfers

Surf pools near San Clemente

• DSRT Surf, Palm Desert: 121 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.

All surf pools: surf pools worldwide.

Surf clips from San Clemente

• Lower Trestles is GOING OFF like a Perfect Wave Machine! ( PROS! ) (BEEFS T.V. on YouTube): Trestles
• Kelly Slater Surfing Pumping Lower Trestles! (Hayden Garfield on YouTube): Trestles
• FIRING LOWER TRESTLES, CALIFORNIA // LAKEY PETERSON SURFING (Lakey Peterson on YouTube): Trestles

Surf spots in San Clemente

• San Clemente Pier: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid to high tide. Suits all levels. (33.4198, -117.6220)
• 204s: Beach break, lefts and rights, intermediate surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE) (33.4248, -117.6270)
• Trestles: Point break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE), best at mid tide (33.3817, -117.5890)
• San Onofre: Reef break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at all tides. Suits all levels. (33.3722, -117.5639)
• Doheny State Beach: Reef break, lefts and rights, beginner surfers, faces S (offshore wind from the N), best at low to mid tide (33.4602, -117.6851)
• Strands Beach: Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE) (33.4632, -117.7160)
• Salt Creek: Reef break, left-hander, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides (33.4768, -117.7232)
• Trails: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide. Beginner to intermediate. (33.3467, -117.5261)
• Agate/Pearl Street: Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide (33.5278, -117.7729)
• Laguna Beach (Brooks Street): Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides, rising (33.5338, -117.7790)

What's on in San Clemente

San Clemente is a laid-back beach town with a small bar and restaurant scene along Avenida del Mar and by the pier; nights are mellow. The Sunday-morning village farmers market on Avenida del Mar is the weekly fixture.

• Sunday: Village farmers market at 200 block of Avenida del Mar (09:00)

Updated 2026-11-06.

Where to stay in San Clemente

145 places to stay within 14 km: 44 hotel, 20 camp site, 19 guest house, 16 motel, 15 holiday rental, 14 resort, 7 surf camp, 5 bed and breakfast, 2 chalet, 1 hostel, 1 villa, 1 caravan site. Compare them by distance to the nearest surf spot on the interactive map.

Surf camps: JP's Surf Camp, Baja Surf Camp, Volcom Summer Soul Surf Camp, San Clemente Surf Inn, Jp Surf Camp, Summer Soul Surf Camp, Thecalicamp Surf Camp.

Hostels: House of Trestles.

Cafés, food and surf shops

93 cafés and bakeries, 514 restaurants and bars, 16 surf schools and 58 surf shops nearby. Surf schools: San Clemente Surf Soccer Club, Debut Surf School, San Clemente Surf School, 204 Surf Spot - Dije Beach, Trestles Surf Beach, Loner Surf Club, Beach San Clemente California, Calfin.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to surf in San Clemente?

The best surf season in San Clemente is Apr – Oct (April, May, June, July, August, September, October). The sea ranges from 15°C to 22°C over the year.

Which months have the most good surf days in San Clemente?

Measured over the last three years (2023-11-01 to 2026-10-31), the waves at San Clemente's best spot were good or better most often in November (93% of days, 73% great), October (96% of days, 69% great) and December (86% of days, 71% great), and least often in May (90%). From each day's swell and wind (Open-Meteo), rated like Swell Cabin's forecast.

Do I need a wetsuit in San Clemente?

Water temperature in San Clemente is 15–22°C: shorty or rash vest (warmest) to 4/3 mm (coldest).

Is San Clemente good for beginner surfers?

Yes. San Clemente suits beginner, intermediate and advanced surfers; spots that work for beginners or all levels include San Clemente Pier, San Onofre, Doheny State Beach and Trails.

What are the surf spots in San Clemente?

San Clemente has 10 surf spots on Swell Cabin: San Clemente Pier (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid to high tide); 204s (Beach break, lefts and rights, intermediate surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE)); Trestles (Point break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE), best at mid tide); San Onofre (Reef break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at all tides); Doheny State Beach (Reef break, lefts and rights, beginner surfers, faces S (offshore wind from the N), best at low to mid tide); Strands Beach (Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE)); Salt Creek (Reef break, left-hander, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides); Trails (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide); Agate/Pearl Street (Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide); Laguna Beach (Brooks Street) (Reef break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides, rising).

Where should surfers stay in San Clemente?

Swell Cabin lists 145 places to stay within 14 km of San Clemente, including 7 surf camps such as JP's Surf Camp, Baja Surf Camp, Volcom Summer Soul Surf Camp and San Clemente Surf Inn, 1 hostels, 19 guesthouses and homestays, 16 rentals and villas. Each one shows its distance to the nearest surf spot.

What is the nightlife like in San Clemente?

San Clemente is a laid-back beach town with a small bar and restaurant scene along Avenida del Mar and by the pier; nights are mellow. The Sunday-morning village farmers market on Avenida del Mar is the weekly fixture. Regular nights: Sunday: Village farmers market at 200 block of Avenida del Mar.

What is the surf forecast for San Clemente this week?

Swell Cabin shows a live 7-day surf forecast for San Clemente and each of its 10 surf spots on https://swellcabin.com/town/san-clemente: 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 San Clemente?

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 San Clemente 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 San Clemente tide gauge (1 km away).

How accurate is the surf forecast for San Clemente?

Swell Cabin checks it against the Capistrano Beach Nearshore, CA buoy (7 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 84% of the time. Last checked 2026-11-05.

How reliable is Swell Cabin's information about San Clemente?

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 San Clemente?

Swell Cabin hasn't found a live surf cam it could check in San Clemente yet (it only lists cams it has opened); the surf forecast on its page shows the waves this week.

Is there a surf pool (wave pool) near San Clemente?

Yes: DSRT Surf in Palm Desert (121 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 San Clemente?

Surf schools in and around San Clemente include San Clemente Surf Soccer Club, Debut Surf School, San Clemente Surf School, 204 Surf Spot - Dije Beach, Trestles Surf Beach and Loner Surf Club.

Nearby surf towns

• Oceanside, United States (best Sep – Mar)
• Huntington Beach, United States (best Oct – Mar)
• Encinitas, United States (best Sep – Mar)
• La Jolla, United States (best Sep – Mar)
• Malibu, United States (best May – Oct)
• Ventura, United States (best Nov – Mar)

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