Updated nightly
Forecast updates nightly around 7 PM · Surf & tides refresh every 3 hours
Where the sand moved.
A nightly cut forecast for Orange County and Los Angeles beaches, with surf for each beach and the week's tides.
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New here? How to read this page
What's a cut?
Big surf on a high tide pulls sand off the beach and leaves a drop-off, or scarp. With the sand gone, coins and jewelry sit closer to the surface. That's when detecting is best.
Where to hunt
Every night the beaches are ranked by how likely they are to be cut, lined up with the best low tides. Confirmed report means someone reported the erosion. Forecast means it's based on surf and tide data alone.
Surf numbers
Height is the average of the bigger waves just outside the break. Period is seconds between waves; longer means more power. Direction is where the swell comes from. South swells hit Laguna and San Clemente; west swells hit Huntington and the South Bay.
Tides
Heights are feet above the average lowest tide. A minus tide drops below that and exposes the most beach. Start about 90 minutes before the low and follow the water out.
Stay safe
Freshly cut beaches have steep drop-offs. Stay off berms, respect closures and lifeguards, and watch your back near rocks on an incoming tide.
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Best windows · Orange County
Where to hunt next.
Picks blend confirmed erosion reports with swell, wind and tide data. Windows start about 90 minutes before the low. Each pick says whether it rests on a confirmed report or a forecast.
Swell, wind & weather · Orange County
What the ocean is doing.
Big or steep swell on top of high tides cuts the beach. Gentle groundswell and offshore Santa Ana winds build it back. Tap a buoy for live NOAA readings.
Erosion reports · Orange County
Confirmed on the sand.
Dated reports from news, cities and the National Weather Service, newest first. Fresh sand replenishment buries cuts, so those beaches get marked down.
Track record · Orange County
How the picks held up.
Every top pick is saved. Each night the last week of picks gets graded against field reports, news and city notices. Picks nobody reported on stay at "Can't tell yet" instead of being guessed.
Surf by beach · Orange County
Who's getting hit.
Wave height just outside the break at each beach, from the Scripps wave model. Big surf on a high tide is what cuts sand, so the biggest numbers are the beaches to watch. Tap a beach for its 48-hour history and forecast.
Heights are significant wave height at about 30 ft of water depth, so breaking faces can run larger. Use them to compare beaches and see when the swell builds or drops.
Tides · NOAA Newport Bay Entrance
The next seven days of water.
Tides run almost the same along this whole coast, within a few minutes and a tenth of a foot, so one NOAA station covers every beach in the region. Shaded columns are night.
Day by day
Best low tides, next 2 weeks
Every low at +1.0 ft or lower in the next 14 days, most negative first. Dusk means within about 40 minutes of sunrise or sunset.
| # | Day | Low | Time | Light |
|---|
Where this comes from
Sources
Cut ratings are forecasts unless marked as confirmed. Tide times are NOAA predictions. Surf heights come from the Scripps CDIP wave model. Conditions change fast after big surf. Respect closures, posted signs, berms and lifeguards, and never hunt alone around rocks on an incoming tide.
Get pinged
Low tide alerts in the Discord.
The free Discord posts an alert when a negative low tide shows up in the next 48 hours, and members can trade beach reports from the sand.