Dana Point · Orange County · California
Strand Beach Surf Report & Forecast, Dana Strands, CA
Strand Beach, Dana Strands, California: 4 ft, chest to head high, at 12 pm PST on Monday, Nov 9, rated Great. The main swell is 2.1 ft at 16 seconds from the west-southwest, with a 4 mph cross-shore wind from the west-northwest. Water is about 74°F, so a rashguard is enough; the next low tide is -0.1 ft at 3:22 pm.
4 ft
chest to head high · occasional 5 ft
- Swell
- 2.1 ft · 16 s · WSW
- Wind
- 4 mph (WNW)cross-shore
- Tide
- 2.9 ft fallinglow -0.1 ft at 3:22 pm
- Water
- 74°Frashguard
- Air
- 76°Ffeels like 75°F
- Sun
- rise 6:17 amset 4:52 pm
Strand Beach surf today and tomorrow
Best-rated hour today at Strand Beach: 9 am, Great, on a falling high tide.
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 Strand Beach: 9 am, Great, on a falling high tide.
Hour by hour as a table, today and tomorrow
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 3–4 ft | Great | 4 mph offshore (NE) | 5.5 ft |
| 7 am | 3–4 ft | Great | calm | 6.3 ft |
| 8 am | 4 ft | Great | calm | 6.7 ft |
| 9 am | 4–5 ft | Great | calm | 6.5 ft |
| 10 am | 4 ft | Great | 4 mph cross-shore (WNW) | 5.7 ft |
| 11 am | 4–5 ft | Good | 5 mph cross-shore (WNW) | 4.4 ft |
| 12 pmnow | 4 ft | Good | 6 mph onshore (W) | 2.9 ft |
| 1 pm | 4 ft | Good | 6 mph onshore (W), gusts 11 | 1.5 ft |
| 2 pm | 4 ft | Good | 7 mph onshore (W), gusts 12 | 0.5 ft |
| 3 pm | 4 ft | Good | 7 mph cross-shore (WNW) | -0.0 ft |
| 4 pm | 4 ft | Good | 7 mph cross-shore (WNW), gusts 12 | 0.1 ft |
| 5 pm | 4 ft | Good | 7 mph cross-shore (NW), gusts 12 | 0.7 ft |
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 3–4 ft | Great | calm | 5.0 ft |
| 7 am | 3–4 ft | Great | calm | 5.9 ft |
| 8 am | 3–4 ft | Great | calm | 6.5 ft |
| 9 am | 3–4 ft | Great | calm | 6.6 ft |
| 10 am | 4 ft | Great | calm | 6.1 ft |
| 11 am | 3–4 ft | Good | 4 mph onshore (W) | 5.0 ft |
| 12 pm | 3–4 ft | Good | 5 mph onshore (W) | 3.6 ft |
| 1 pm | 3–4 ft | Good | 6 mph onshore (W) | 2.2 ft |
| 2 pm | 3–4 ft | Good | 6 mph onshore (W), gusts 11 | 1.0 ft |
| 3 pm | 3–4 ft | Good | 7 mph onshore (W), gusts 12 | 0.2 ft |
| 4 pm | 3–4 ft | Good | 6 mph cross-shore (WNW), gusts 11 | -0.1 ft |
| 5 pm | 3–4 ft | Good | 5 mph cross-shore (WNW) | 0.3 ft |
Strand Beach waves today: sets, lulls and how they break
At 12 pm, sets at Strand Beach arrive about every minute with about 3 waves each, and the waves are mostly barreling and punchy.
- Set waves
- about 4.4 ft faces
- Waves per set
- about 3
- Sets
- every minute or so, each lasting about 11 s
- Lulls
- about 46 s between breaking waves
- How they break
- Barrelingwhich means the lip pitches out and can throw a barrel
- Shape
- Punchywhich means steep takeoffs and a pitching lip
- Breaking
- 91% of waves stand up and break where surfers sitThe rest roll through.
- Along-shore current
- light, about 0.5 mphThis is not a rip current forecast. For rip current risk, see the National Weather Service.
Strand Beach surf this weekend and the next 10 days
Next 10 days at Strand Beach: the biggest day is Tuesday, Nov 17 at 6–8 ft, and the best-rated day is Saturday, Nov 14 (Great). This weekend: Saturday, Nov 14, 4–6 ft and Great; Sunday, Nov 15, 4–6 ft and Great.
Thu, Nov 19 – Tue, Nov 24
Days 11–16 for Strand Beach are in the Current app with a Premium subscription.
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
| Day | Surf | Rating | Main swell | Wind am | Wind pm | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | 3–5 ft | Great | 1.5 ft · 16 s · SSW | calm | 7 mph onshore (W), gusts 12 | 9 am |
| Tue, Nov 10 | 3–4 ft | Great | 1.8 ft · 14 s · WSW | calm | 6 mph onshore (W), gusts 11 | 9 am |
| Wed, Nov 11 | 3–4 ft | Great | 1.7 ft · 13 s · WSW | calm | 7 mph onshore (W), gusts 12 | 6 am |
| Thu, Nov 12 | 2–3 ft | Good | 1.8 ft · 13 s · W | calm | 5 mph onshore (WSW) | 6 am |
| Fri, Nov 13 | 4–5 ft | Great | 2.6 ft · 15 s · W | 7 mph cross-shore (ESE) | 8 mph onshore (SW) | 10 am |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 4–6 ft | Great | 3.7 ft · 13 s · W | calm | 10 mph onshore (W), gusts 15 | 7 am |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 4–6 ft | Great | 3.3 ft · 18 s · W | 4 mph offshore (ENE) | 4 mph onshore (SSW) | 7 am |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 4–7 ft | Great | 2.1 ft · 15 s · W | 6 mph cross-shore (NW) | 10 mph onshore (WSW), gusts 17 | 7 am |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 6–8 ft | Good | — | 14 mph cross-shore (NW) | 19 mph cross-shore (NW) | 7 am |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 3–5 ft | Great | — | calm | 8 mph onshore (WSW) | 7 am |
| Thu, Nov 19 – Tue, Nov 24 | Days 11–16 for Strand Beach are in the Current app with a Premium subscription. Get the app | |||||
Strand Beach tide chart and tide times
Tides at Strand Beach today, Monday, Nov 9: low 2.4 ft at 1:49 am, high 6.7 ft at 8:10 am, low -0.1 ft at 3:22 pm and high 4.4 ft at 9:48 pm. At 12 pm the tide is 2.9 ft and falling.
Strand Beach tide chart, November 2026
| Day | Tides |
|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | Low 2.4 ft at 1:49 amHigh 6.7 ft at 8:10 amLow -0.1 ft at 3:22 pmHigh 4.4 ft at 9:48 pm |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Low 2.7 ft at 2:22 amHigh 6.6 ft at 8:39 amLow -0.1 ft at 3:56 pmHigh 4.1 ft at 10:21 pm |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Low 2.8 ft at 2:48 amHigh 6.2 ft at 9:04 amLow 0.2 ft at 4:33 pmHigh 3.7 ft at 11:17 pm |
| Thu, Nov 12 | Low 3.0 ft at 2:59 amHigh 6.1 ft at 9:37 amLow 0.6 ft at 5:17 pm |
| Fri, Nov 13 | High 3.7 ft at 12:20 amLow 3.4 ft at 3:20 amHigh 5.9 ft at 10:10 amLow 0.9 ft at 6:08 pm |
| Sat, Nov 14 | High 3.7 ft at 1:53 amLow 3.7 ft at 3:42 amHigh 5.6 ft at 10:50 amLow 1.2 ft at 7:08 pm |
| Sun, Nov 15 | High 5.0 ft at 11:39 amLow 1.2 ft at 8:05 pm |
| Mon, Nov 16 | High 4.0 ft at 4:28 amLow 3.9 ft at 7:17 amHigh 4.6 ft at 12:51 pmLow 1.3 ft at 9 pm |
| Tue, Nov 17 | High 4.3 ft at 4:46 amLow 3.6 ft at 9:42 amHigh 4.3 ft at 2:29 pm |
Tide predictions, not observations. Heights in feet above MLLW.
Strand Beach water temperature
The water temperature at Strand Beach is about 74°F on Monday, Nov 9. With the air feeling like 75°F and a 4 mph wind, a rashguard is enough. Over the next week the water stays between 73 and 75°F.
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 Strand Beach
- Salt Creek0.8 mi NNW · 5–6 ft · Good
- Three Arch Bay1.8 mi NNW · 4–5 ft · Good
- Doheny2.0 mi E · 2–3 ft · Great
- Thousand Steps2.7 mi NNW · 4–5 ft · Good
- Capistrano Beach3.1 mi ESE · 3–4 ft · Great
- Table Rock3.1 mi NW · 4 ft · Good
Rated right now. The Current app animates the surf itself on a live map of the whole coast. See the app →
About Strand Beach
Strand Beach is a beach break in Dana Point, Orange County, California, facing southwest. Also called Dana Strands, The Strands and Headlands.
Follow Strand Beach 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.