Shell Beach surf forecast
Pismo Beach · California (San Luis Obispo County) · United States
Today at Shell Beach: best around 12:00, 1.0 m at 9 s with onshore wind. Fair for intermediate surfers, poor–fair for beginners, poor for advanced. Updated 20 Oct, 18:50 UTC.
Shell Beach surf forecast, next 7 days
The best daylight hour of each day, rated for each level. Best day: Thursday 22 Oct (1.0 m at 9 s, cross-shore).
| Day | Best | Surf | Wind | Beg. | Int. | Adv. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 12:00 | 1.0 m · 9 s | onshore | Poor–Fair | Fair | Poor |
| Wed 21 | 12:00 | 1.1 m · 10 s | cross-shore | Poor–Fair | Fair | Poor–Fair |
| Thu 22 | 17:00 | 1.0 m · 9 s | cross-shore | Fair | Good | Poor–Fair |
| Fri 23 | 11:00 | 0.8 m · 6 s | cross-shore | Poor–Fair | Poor–Fair | Poor |
| Sat 24 | 12:00 | 0.8 m · 7 s | cross-onshore | Fair | Poor–Fair | Poor |
| Sun 25 | 12:00 | 0.5 m · 7 s | cross-shore | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Mon 26 | 13:00 | 0.5 m · 11 s | cross-onshore | Poor–Fair | Poor | Poor |
Model forecast updated 20 Oct, 18:50 UTC. Hour by hour with swell direction, tide and webcams: open the live forecast.
Two rock-reef peaks below the Shell Beach bluffs, north of Pismo, catch more swell than sheltered Avila and stay cleaner in NW wind than the open beaches. It needs a solid NW or SW swell and is best on low to mid tide; above head high it starts to close out. Surfline calls it crumbly and fine for newer surfers when small, but the rock bottom makes booties and a little experience worth having.
- Break
- reef break, peaks both ways; faces SW
- Level
- intermediate
- Best swell
- NW, W, SW, S
- Best wind
- NNE, NE, N, E (offshore)
- Best tide
- low to mid tide
- Season
- Autumn
- Typical size
- 0.6-1.8 m
- Crowd
- medium
- Hazards
- rock bottom and scattered rocks; strong currents and multi-wave sets when bigger; cold water; occasional sharks
Shell Beach surf cams
- Shell Beach (Surfline, free (ads))
Nearby spots
- Pismo Beach Pier, Pismo Beach
- Morro Rock, Morro Bay
- Cayucos Pier, Cayucos
Questions
Is Shell Beach good for beginners?
It is best for intermediate surfers (rock bottom and scattered rocks; strong currents and multi-wave sets when bigger). Beginners nearby can try Pismo Beach Pier, Pismo Beach.
What swell, wind and tide work best at Shell Beach?
NW, W, SW, S swell, NNE, NE, N, E wind (offshore), at low to mid tide. Typical size 0.6-1.8 m.
Live swell, wind, tide, a 14-day outlook, satellite pictures and webcams for Shell Beach are in the Surf Spoting app.