Santa Cruz County, California
Early morning is your best window — 3-4+ft waves on SSW swell at 10s with 12mph W winds.
Best window·Friday 11AM–2PM·2-3+ft·Fair
Poor today — get one free email when Pleasure Point turns Good.
Here's how the next 5 days are shaping up at Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz County, California. Each day is rated based on breaking wave height, swell period, and wind — updated hourly from the latest NOAA GFS run.
Wed, Jul 22: 3–4+ft, 10s period, rated Poor. Early morning is your best window — 3-4+ft waves on SSW swell at 10s with 12mph W winds. Things get a bit scrappier as the day goes on.
Thu, Jul 23: 2–3ft, 14s period, rated Fair. Get out early for the best of it — 2-3ft waves on SSW swell at 14s and glassy conditions. Conditions go downhill through the afternoon.
Fri, Jul 24: 2–3+ft, 23s period, rated Fair. Dawn patrol is the move — 2-3ft on SSW swell at 13s with glassy conditions. Onshore flow builds through the day to 6mph, bringing conditions down to poor - fair.
Sat, Jul 25: 1–2ft, 22s period, rated Poor. Early morning is your best window — 2-3ft waves on S swell at 12s with barely a breath of wind. The SSE wind kicks in by afternoon — 6mph and poor by then.
Sun, Jul 26: 2–3ft, 20s period, rated Fair. Early morning is your best window — 2-3ft waves on SW swell at 20s with calm winds. Onshore flow builds through the day to 7mph, bringing conditions down to poor - fair.
Check Pleasure Point from the lineup
Forecasts, surf alerts, and live conditions in the Swell Intel iPhone app.
Pleasure Point is the anchor of East Side Santa Cruz surfing, a long reef-point lineup with distinct take-off zones (First Peak, Sewer Peak, 36th Ave, 38th Ave) that peel right across cobblestone reef. The wave is a forgiving medium-performance right that handles size but is legendarily crowded on any decent swell. Local etiquette is strict — get in the right order before dropping in.
Wave heights shown are breaking wave heights — the actual rideable wave size at this spot.
The current wave height at Pleasure Point is 2-3+ft with a 8.35s swell period. Wind is W at 2mph and conditions are rated Poor. The forecast updates hourly so you can plan your session around the cleanest windows.
The current breaking wave height at Pleasure Point is 2-3+ft, produced by a 3.8ft SSW primary swell at 8s, a 1.9ft SSW secondary swell at 15s, a 1ft WNW tertiary swell at 12s, a 1.1ft WNW wind swell swell at 8s. Breaking wave height is the actual rideable wave size at the shore — calculated from offshore swell data using this spot's coastal bathymetry — not the raw buoy reading.
Based on the current 5-day forecast, the best window to surf Pleasure Point is Friday from 11 AM to 2 PM with 3ft waves, a 13.45s swell period, and conditions rated Fair. Check the hourly forecast for updates as conditions can shift.
Pleasure Point works best with a WSW swell and NE winds. Offshore winds groom the face of the wave, while onshore winds turn it sloppy. Cross-offshore conditions usually produce the cleanest shape.
Tide plays a big role at Pleasure Point. Mid tide works for most beach breaks, while reef and point breaks often prefer higher or lower stages. Use the tide chart above to line up your session with the swell peak.
Pleasure Point is a point with a reef bottom, suited to intermediate surfers. Pleasure Point is the anchor of East Side Santa Cruz surfing, a long reef-point lineup with distinct take-off zones (First Peak, Sewer Peak, 36th Ave, 38th Ave) that peel right across cobblestone reef. The wave is a forgiving medium-performance right that handles size but is legendarily crowded on any decent swell. Local etiquette is strict — get in the right order before dropping in.
The prime season at Pleasure Point is winter, when swell direction, wind patterns, and water temps line up most consistently. Outside the peak season you can still score, but you'll need to watch the forecast closely for the right windows.
Common hazards at Pleasure Point include crowds, localism, rocks, cold water, paddleboard traffic. Always check conditions before paddling out, respect local etiquette, and never surf alone if you're unfamiliar with the break.
Our Pleasure Point forecast uses NOAA GFS and other weather models combined with spot-specific bathymetry to calculate breaking wave heights. Short-range (1-3 day) forecasts are most reliable; extended forecasts show general trends. We also verify our offshore swell predictions against NOAA buoy measurements daily — see our accuracy page for those swell-verification metrics (buoys measure open-water swell, not breaking surf size).
