Ocean Beach (SF) Alert Guide

California, USA · part of the Ocean Beach (SF) spot guide

The San Francisco Bar buoy (46237) is a waves-only Waverider that reports no wind, so this observation alert keys on swell only — judge wind and tide separately. The height below is the buoy’s open-ocean reading, not the breaking face, which on a good outer bar runs larger.

The forecaster's checklist

1. 1.Read the San Francisco Bar buoy (46237) direction — you want west to west-northwest (about 260–300°); due west with length is best.
2. 2.Prioritise period of 13 seconds or more so the outer bars organise; short-period windswell closes out the inner bar.
3. 3.Judge wind from a forecast or met station, not the buoy — you want a light east or northeast offshore at dawn before the prevailing northwest sea breeze.
4. 4.Aim for a high, dropping tide and avoid the peak of a big ebb on a large swell, when current, drift and shifting bars conspire.
5. 5.Scope the beach for the working sandbar — bars move constantly, so do not assume last week’s peak, and make an honest paddle-out call on the biggest days.

Local winds & tide

Best wind: E–NE offshore at dawn — from 25° to 90° (NNE–E).

Genuinely tide-sensitive; a high, dropping tide is favoured, while a big ebb through the Golden Gate amplifies current and reworks the bars hour to hour.

Dial it in