🇺🇸 SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA

Trestles

Southern California's premier performance wave

GOOD

Live Conditions

Conditions Summary

Solid 10ft swell — with 11s mixed swell — from a workable direction — 5mph onshore wind roughing up the surface

HIGH CONFIDENCEFresh buoy data + calibrated transformation

Why it's GOOD

Swell Direction

Primary swell is 207° — matches the ideal 225° window for this spot

Swell Period

16s — strong, long-period groundswell. Maximum wave power and quality.

Wind

5mph onshore — light but will soften wave shape

Tide

Low tide — often the best window for reef/point breaks

Season

September is peak season for this spot

Data Confidence

Fresh buoy data with calibrated coastal transformation

At the Break

9.6ft

HIGH CONFIDENCE

Fresh buoy data + calibrated transformation

Period

16s

✓ Groundswell

Wind

5mph

ONSHORE

Water

74°F

Spring suit

Live Buoy 46086

4.9ft

16s

56 min ago

Tide

LOW TIDE

0.67ft

Next high: in 5 hr 45 min

Swell Direction

70%

Wind Direction

35%

Primary Swell

2.4ft @ 12.6s

SSW 192°

Secondary Swell

1.3ft @ 12.5s

SW 218°

10 Day Outlook

2.8ft

TODAY

Sep 11

(16s)

2.6ft

TMRW

Sep 12

(15s)

2.8ft

SUN

Sep 13

(14s)

2.9ft

MON

Sep 14

(18s)

2.2ft

TUE

Sep 15

(17s)

2.1ft

WED

Sep 16

(18s)

2.6ft

THU

Sep 17

(16s)

2.8ft

FRI

Sep 18

(20s)

2.8ft

SAT

Sep 19

(19s)

2.8ft

SUN

Sep 20

(18s)

Best this week: today — 2.8ft

Best next week: SAT Sep 19 — 2.8ft

Model Breakdown

ECMWF (45%)3.0ft

ICON (35%)3.3ft

GFS (20%)2.6ft

Model confidence80%

Updated every 30 mins · Open-Meteo ECMWF + ICON + GFS

About

Trestles is a world-class beach and reef break complex in San Clemente, California. Uppers and Lowers produce powerful, well-shaped waves that have hosted WSL Championship Tour events for decades. A 20-minute walk from the car park makes it feel more remote than it is.

The Break

Lowers for the most performance-oriented waves, Uppers for more power, Church for a quieter option.

Ideal Conditions

SW swell 4-6ft, light NE Santa Ana winds, low tide

Best Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best months highlighted · Current: Sep

Trip Planner

SoCal Weekend

Weekend · 3 Days

Friday

Fly into Orange County (SNA). 30min drive to San Clemente. Stay in town — walkable to everything.

Saturday

Walk the trail to Lowers at dawn. Full day session. Tacos in San Clemente town.

Sunday

Morning session Uppers. Drive up the coast to Malibu or Newport Beach. Fly home.

California Coast Week

Full Week · 7 Days

Day 1

Arrive SNA, drive to San Clemente.

Day 2

Full day Trestles — Lowers and Uppers.

Day 3

Drive south — explore Oceanside and Carlsbad breaks.

Day 4

Drive north — Huntington Beach, Newport Beach.

Day 5

Malibu — iconic right-hand pointbreak.

Day 6

Back to Trestles for a final session.

Day 7

Fly home from SNA or LAX.

Local Knowledge

The walk to Trestles is 20 minutes each way — bring a board bag with wheels.

Santa Ana winds blow offshore in autumn — best conditions of the year.

San Clemente is a beautiful small town — great food and relaxed California vibe.

The WSL Surf Ranch is nearby in Lemoore — worth visiting if you are a surf fan.