Skip to content
Current

Capitola · Santa Cruz County · California

Privates Surf Report & Forecast, Opal Cliffs, California

Privates, Opal Cliffs, California: 2–3 ft, waist high, at 3 am PST on Tuesday, Nov 10, rated Good. The main swell is 3.0 ft at 13 seconds from the southwest, with a 4 mph cross-shore wind from the northeast. Water is about 67°F, so a 3/2 full wetsuit is the suggestion; the next low tide is 3.0 ft at 3:44 am.

Good

2–3 ft

waist high

Swell from the southwest; wind from the northeast at 4 mph, cross-shore; the beach faces north-northwest.NSWE
first light 6:14 amrating through the daylast light 5:29 pm
Swell
3.0 ft · 13 s · SW
Wind
4 mph (NE)cross-shore
Tide
3.1 ft fallinglow 3.0 ft at 3:44 am
Water
67°F3/2
Air
59°Ffeels like 56°F
Sun
rise 6:41 amset 5:02 pm

Privates surf today and tomorrow

Best-rated hour today at Privates: 4 pm, Good, on a falling low tide.

Today Tue, Nov 10
Surf height at Privates today, Tue, Nov 10, in feet from first light to last light, with the tide, the hourly rating and the wind.246-1373–4 ft6 am: Good7 am: Good8 am: Good9 am: Poor to Fair10 am: Fair11 am: Poor to Fair12 pm: Good1 pm: Good2 pm: Good3 pm: Good4 pm: Good5 pm: Good6a9a12p3p☀ 6:41 am5:02 pm ☾ratingwind
Tomorrow Wed, Nov 11
Surf height at Privates tomorrow, Wed, Nov 11, in feet from first light to last light, with the tide, the hourly rating and the wind.246-1372–3 ft6 am: Good7 am: Good8 am: Good9 am: Good10 am: Poor to Fair11 am: Fair12 pm: Good1 pm: Good2 pm: Good3 pm: Good4 pm: Good5 pm: Good6a9a12p3pratingwind

Blue band: surf face height from the low end to set waves; dotted: occasional larger sets. Grey line: tide, in feet on the right scale. Colour strip: the hourly rating. Arrows: wind direction and strength, teal when offshore, orange when onshore.

Best-rated hour tomorrow at Privates: 6 am, Good, on a rising mid tide.

Hour by hour as a table, today and tomorrow
Today, Tue, Nov 10, first light to last light
TimeSurfRatingWindTide
6 am2–3 ftGoodcalm3.9 ft
7 am2–3 ftGoodcalm4.6 ft
8 am2 ftGoodcalm5.4 ft
9 am1–2 ftPoor to Faircalm6.0 ft
10 am1–2 ftFaircalm6.1 ft
11 am1–2 ftPoor to Faircalm5.8 ft
12 pm2 ftGoodcalm4.9 ft
1 pm2 ftGood5 mph cross-shore (WSW), gusts 103.8 ft
2 pm2–3 ftGood5 mph cross-shore (W), gusts 102.4 ft
3 pm3 ftGood6 mph cross-shore (W), gusts 121.2 ft
4 pm3–4 ftGood4 mph cross-shore (WNW)0.3 ft
5 pm3–4 ftGoodcalm-0.1 ft
Tomorrow, Wed, Nov 11
TimeSurfRatingWindTide
6 am2–3 ftGood4 mph cross-shore (NE)3.6 ft
7 am2–3 ftGood5 mph cross-shore (ENE)4.2 ft
8 am2–3 ftGood5 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 105.0 ft
9 am2 ftGood6 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 115.6 ft
10 am2 ftPoor to Fair5 mph cross-shore (ESE), gusts 105.9 ft
11 am2 ftFair4 mph onshore (ESE)5.9 ft
12 pm2 ftGood4 mph onshore (SSE)5.4 ft
1 pm2 ftGood4 mph onshore (S)4.4 ft
2 pm2 ftGood5 mph onshore (SSW), gusts 103.3 ft
3 pm2–3 ftGood4 mph cross-shore (SSW)2.0 ft
4 pm2–3 ftGoodcalm1.0 ft
5 pm2–3 ftGoodcalm0.2 ft

Privates waves today: sets, lulls and how they break

At 3 am, sets at Privates arrive about every 5 minutes with about 4 waves each, and the waves are mostly spilling and crumbly.

Set rhythm: about 4 waves per set every 5 minutes, with about 220 seconds between breaking waves.0 min15 min
Set waves
about 2.8 ft faces
Waves per set
about 4
Sets
every 5 minutes or so, each lasting about 38 s
Lulls
about 220 s between breaking waves
How they break
Spillingwhich means soft, crumbling whitewater
Shape
Crumblywhich means whitewater rolls gently down the face
Breaking
31% of waves stand up and break where surfers sitThe rest roll through.
Along-shore current
moderate, about 1 mphThis is not a rip current forecast. For rip current risk, see the National Weather Service.

What do these mean?

Privates surf this weekend and the next 10 days

Next 10 days at Privates: the biggest day is Saturday, Nov 14 at 5–7 ft, and the best-rated day is Monday, Nov 16 (Great). This weekend: Saturday, Nov 14, 5–7 ft and Great; Sunday, Nov 15, 2–4 ft and Good.

Privates surf height by day for the next 10 days, in feet, with each day's best rating and main swell direction. Days 11 to 16 are in the Current app.this weekend3691–4Tue, Nov 10: GoodTueNov 102–3Wed, Nov 11: GoodWedNov 112–4Thu, Nov 12: GoodThuNov 122–4Fri, Nov 13: FairFriNov 135–7Sat, Nov 14: GreatSatNov 142–4Sun, Nov 15: GoodSunNov 154–6Mon, Nov 16: GreatMonNov 163–4Tue, Nov 17: GreatTueNov 171–3Wed, Nov 18: GoodWedNov 181–3Thu, Nov 19: GoodThuNov 19FriNov 20SatNov 21SunNov 22MonNov 23TueNov 24WedNov 25ratingswell

Fri, Nov 20 – Tue, Nov 24

Days 11–16 for Privates are in the Current app with a Premium subscription.

About the Current app →

Bars: surf face height from the low end to set waves, by day. Colour strip: the day's best rating. Arrows: main swell direction. Shaded: this weekend.

The 10-day forecast as a table, with swell and wind
Privates 10-day surf forecast, free. Daylight hours; the main swell is the largest at midday.
DaySurfRatingMain swellWind amWind pmBest time
Tue, Nov 101–4 ftGood3.0 ft · 13 s · SWcalm5 mph cross-shore (W), gusts 104 pm
Wed, Nov 112–3 ftGood3.1 ft · 13 s · SW5 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 105 mph onshore (SSW), gusts 106 am
Thu, Nov 122–4 ftGood3.5 ft · 14 s · WSW5 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 124 mph cross-shore (SSW), gusts 96 am
Fri, Nov 132–4 ftFair5.5 ft · 15 s · WSW6 mph onshore (SE), gusts 1119 mph cross-shore (SSW), gusts 358 am
Sat, Nov 145–7 ftGreat9.2 ft · 16 s · WSW5 mph offshore (WNW), gusts 108 mph cross-shore (W), gusts 1810 am
Sun, Nov 152–4 ftGood6.9 ft · 16 s · WSW5 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 106 mph cross-shore (SW), gusts 127 am
Mon, Nov 164–6 ftGreat6.0 ft · 15 s · WSW5 mph offshore (NNW), gusts 109 mph offshore (NW), gusts 2010 am
Tue, Nov 173–4 ftGreat—calm6 mph cross-shore (W)7 am
Wed, Nov 181–3 ftGood—14 mph cross-shore (WSW), gusts 2118 mph cross-shore (W), gusts 244 pm
Thu, Nov 191–3 ftGood—11 mph offshore (NNW), gusts 217 mph offshore (NNW), gusts 137 am
Fri, Nov 20 – Tue, Nov 24Days 11–16 for Privates are in the Current app with a Premium subscription. Get the app

Privates tide chart and tide times

Tides at Privates today, Tuesday, Nov 10: low 3.0 ft at 3:44 am, high 6.1 ft at 9:49 am and low -0.2 ft at 5:19 pm. At 3 am the tide is 3.1 ft and falling.

Tide height at Privates, in feet above MLLW, today and tomorrow, with high and low tide times.-11357Mon, Nov 9Tue, Nov 10Wed, Nov 11Thu, Nov 12Fri, Nov 13now 3.1 ft, fallingLow 3.0 ft3:44 amHigh 6.1 ft9:49 amLow -0.2 ft5:19 pmHigh 4.1 ft12:13 amLow 3.1 ft4:12 amHigh 6.0 ft10:22 amLow 0.0 ft5:59 pmHigh 4.1 ft1:14 amLow 3.6 ft4:43 amHigh 6.0 ft10:56 amLow 0.4 ft6:45 pmHigh 4.2 ft2:12 am
Tide height at Privates, in feet, today and tomorrow. Shaded bands are night; the dashed line is now.

Privates tide chart, November 2026

High and low tide times for the next 8 days.
DayTides
Tue, Nov 10Low 3.0 ft at 3:44 amHigh 6.1 ft at 9:49 amLow -0.2 ft at 5:19 pm
Wed, Nov 11High 4.1 ft at 12:13 amLow 3.1 ft at 4:12 amHigh 6.0 ft at 10:22 amLow 0.0 ft at 5:59 pm
Thu, Nov 12High 4.1 ft at 1:14 amLow 3.6 ft at 4:43 amHigh 6.0 ft at 10:56 amLow 0.4 ft at 6:45 pm
Fri, Nov 13High 4.2 ft at 2:12 amLow 3.8 ft at 5:16 amHigh 5.9 ft at 11:36 amLow 0.7 ft at 7:31 pm
Sat, Nov 14High 4.3 ft at 3:19 amLow 4.1 ft at 6:17 amHigh 5.5 ft at 12:13 pmLow 0.7 ft at 8:23 pm
Sun, Nov 15High 4.2 ft at 4:20 amLow 3.9 ft at 7:33 amHigh 5.0 ft at 1:06 pmLow 0.8 ft at 9:13 pm
Mon, Nov 16High 4.2 ft at 5:04 amLow 3.7 ft at 9:20 amHigh 4.4 ft at 2:08 pmLow 0.8 ft at 10 pm
Tue, Nov 17High 4.4 ft at 5:35 amLow 3.3 ft at 10:52 am

Tide predictions, not observations. Heights in feet above MLLW.

Privates water temperature

The water temperature at Privates is about 67°F on Tuesday, Nov 10. With the air feeling like 56°F and a 4 mph wind, a 3/2 full wetsuit is the suggestion. Over the next week the water stays between 66 and 69°F.

Water temperature scale with wetsuit bands. Now 67 degrees, 3/2; 66 to 69 over the next 10 days.rashguardjacketspring3/24/3hooded 4/3hooded 5/46/5 hood67°F now

Water temperature is a forecast for the water at this spot, not a buoy reading. The wetsuit suggestion uses Billabong's wetsuit temperature scale, adjusted for air temperature and wind.

Surf spots near Privates

Spots near Privates with their rating right now, placed on a simple map.PrivatesThe HookCapitola Jetty / Rivermouth38th Ave (Pleasure Point)Pleasure Point - Second PeakPleasure Point - First PeakPleasure Point

Rated right now. The Current app animates the surf itself on a live map of the whole coast. See the app →

All 36 Santa Cruz County spots →

About Privates

Privates is a reef break in Capitola, Santa Cruz County, California, facing south-southeast. Also called Private Beach and Opal Cliffs.

Follow Privates in the Current app

The first 10 days are free, and Premium adds days 11–16.

Forecasts are estimates. Never rely on them for safety. For rip current risk and beach hazards, check the National Weather Service. Forecasts from Current's novel physics simulation. No AI. No black boxes. Ocean and weather data: NOAA (U.S. government data). NOAA does not endorse this site.