The Wedge Alert Guide

California, USA · part of the The Wedge spot guide

The Capistrano Beach buoy (46285) is a waves-only Waverider that reports no wind, so this observation alert keys on swell only. The buoy height below is open-ocean; the jetty doubling makes the breaking face far bigger — never read the buoy number as the wave size. The Wedge is notorious for serious injury on its shallow sand impact and is an expert bodysurf and bodyboard spot.

The forecaster's checklist

1. 1.Check the season first — June to September (shoulder May and October); in winter, expect flat, as the Wedge needs a summer south.
2. 2.Read the buoy (46285) direction — from about 150–230°, ideally 185 to 200°; a northwest-dominant swell means no Wedge.
3. 3.Look for long period, 13 seconds and up, for clean, doubled-up wedges; a Southern Hemisphere or East Pacific hurricane feed gives the biggest days.
4. 4.Translate the height to a face — the wedge doubling makes the face one-and-a-half to two times a normal beach, so never call the size off the raw buoy height.
5. 5.Judge wind separately (the buoy has no wind field) and mind the Blackball flag — May 1 to October 31, 10am to 5pm, it is bodysurf-only.

Local winds & tide

Best wind: N–NE offshore (early glass) — from 0° to 60° (N–ENE).

Tide-sensitive; commonly best around low-to-mid on a rising tide, though the ideal stage shifts with the sandbar — worth watching per swell.

Dial it in