Del Mar surf forecast

Del Mar: 3 to 7 feet Sunday, waist to head high; today 3 to 5; Tuesday 3 to 4. In the water there: 2.6 ft at 6 seconds from the W (271°) and 2.2 ft at 17 seconds from the WSW (247°). The tide: high 4.2 ft at 4:46 AM, then low 2.7 ft at 9:49 AM. Beach break from the Torrey Pines line up to the San Dieguito River mouth, with the 15th Street reef in the middle.

• Sunday: 3 to 7 ft, waist to head high.
• Monday: 3 to 5 ft, waist to chest high; dawn wind offshore from the E, 10 mph.
• Tuesday: 3 to 4 ft, waist to chest high; dawn wind offshore from the NE, 5 mph.
• A sand break facing WSW.

How it takes a swell

Del Mar is open sand from the Torrey Pines line up to the San Dieguito River mouth, with the 15th Street reef in the middle. The beach has no structure that favors a direction, so it takes south, west and northwest alike; what it gets is what the islands and Point La Jolla let through. The water off Del Mar deepens at a medium slope, so a long-period swell keeps its punch but isn't focused anywhere, and the size stays even along the beach. The river mouth is the wildcard: after a wet winter the river builds a bar and it can be the best peak in town. Bigger than a few feet overhead, Del Mar's bars wall up. Mid tide. A combo is what makes Del Mar peaky; a single clean groundswell can close out along the sand.

Who it's for

Everyone. Busy near 15th Street, quieter up north.

Watch out for

Rips between the sandbars. The river mouth after rain: stay out for 72 hours.

Getting there

Meters and paid lots near 15th and 17th Streets and Powerhouse Park; the river mouth from the north beach.

Also in North County San Diego: Trestles

Surf from CDIP's nearshore points, wind from NOAA's HRRR and the National Weather Service, tides from NOAA. About · Privacy