NWS Monterey Bay marine forecast
Wind, sea state and marine hazards from the National Weather Service. Read the issuance time and hazard headlines.
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Today on the Coast
Forecasts are information—not permission.Not a beginner day
Santa Cruz tides · Saturday, September 26 · PDT
High tide: 10:42 AM · 5.0 ft | Low tide: 4:53 PM · 0.8 ft
NOAA station 9413745 · predicted heights above MLLW · late high: 11:04 PM · 4.7 ft. Tide alone does not determine safety.
High tide: 10:42 AM · 5.0 ft | Low tide: 4:53 PM · 0.8 ft
NOAA station 9413745 · predicted heights above MLLW · late high: 11:04 PM · 4.7 ft. Tide alone does not determine safety.
Short-period northwest energy is elevated at the offshore buoy, with more wind expected inside Monterey Bay this afternoon. That combination rules out a general beginner recommendation. Inspect conditions from shore; offshore wave height is not the height of waves breaking at a particular beach.
Monterey Bay forecast
NWS PZZ535 issued 2:17 PM PDT Friday: Saturday NW wind 5–10 kt, becoming W 10–15 kt in the afternoon. Seas 3–5 ft, with NW wave detail 4 ft at 9 seconds and S swell 2 ft at 12 seconds.
Measured buoy · 46042
4:50 AM PDT observation: 8.2 ft significant wave height at 8 seconds from 314° (NW). Wind from 340° (NW) at 13.6 kt, gusting 17.5 kt. This offshore measurement is context, not beach-specific surf height.
Santa Cruz tides · 9413745
NOAA predictions (MLLW), checked 6:01 AM PDT: low 0.8 ft at 4:26 AM; high 5.0 ft at 10:42 AM; low 0.8 ft at 4:53 PM; high 4.7 ft at 11:04 PM; next low 1.2 ft at 4:54 AM Sunday. Tide affects access and current; it is not a safety score.
Advisories + State Parks
The NWS active-alert feed showed no active advisory for PZZ535 at 6:01 AM PDT Saturday. The advisory heading still visible on the marine page belongs to Friday’s 2:17 PM forecast and expired Friday night. No Santa Cruz-specific ocean closure was found on the official State Parks pages checked; their incident information is not real-time, so closure status could not be fully verified. Check the individual park page, posted signs, staff and lifeguards.
Salt Hound read: Not a beginner day. An offshore significant wave height above eight feet at eight seconds, paired with moderate northwest wind and strengthening afternoon wind, leaves too little room for a responsible learning call. Experienced surfers still need to inspect their exact public beach from shore and follow posted restrictions. Conditions can change quickly; this brief never guarantees safety.
NWS PZZ535 forecast · NWS active alerts for PZZ535 · NDBC 46042 · NOAA Santa Cruz tides · State Parks ocean safety · State Parks incident updates
Use the stack: swell without wind, tide and local exposure is half an answer. Check all three, then look at the actual water. If the shoreline and forecast disagree, believe what is in front of you.
NOAA Santa Cruz tide predictions
Station 9413745. Tide timing and height are inputs, not a surf-quality score.
Open NOAA tides →NDBC buoy observations
Use current buoy observations to compare forecast with measured swell and wind. Always check timestamp and station position.
Open NOAA observation search →No automatic green lights
Salt Hound will publish a plain-language daily outlook only when data freshness, location context and a human-readable safety explanation can all be shown. Until then, use a qualified instructor for location selection.
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