Natural Bridges State Beach
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Hourly Forecast
Timezone: America/Los_Angeles
⏱️s.
⚡️kJ
Friday 29
Saturday 30
Sunday 31
Monday 01
Tuesday 02
Wednesday 03
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Natural Bridges State Beach surf guide

Natural Bridges State Beach is located in Santa Cruz and is known for its right reef and point break that forms over a rugged rock shelf. This spot is the first surf location you hit in Santa Cruz proper and generally works best in the winter. It usually fires on bigger swells and lower tides, making it a solid winter surf destination.

The surf here can be pretty intense, especially during a clean NW swell. It handles wave sizes from about 4 to 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 meters), but it’s best suited for expert surfers due to the sharp reef and potential hazards involved. The right-handed waves can be heavy and tricky, especially near “The Sidewalk,” the shallow bowl section. Layout is important; you’ll want to catch it on a low to mid tide with N and ENE winds for the best setup. Just be ready for some crowds if conditions are pumping!

Access is straightforward with parking at the state park, but you will have to walk a bit to reach the surf. The local vibe can be strong, and it’s common to see a lot of experienced surfers out here, which is something to keep in mind if you're planning to take on this spot. Overall, Natural Bridges offers a solid experience for those looking to tackle a challenging surf environment.

Surf reports and surf forecasts nearby Natural Bridges State Beach

The Rivermouth
California, United States
Beach break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Cowells
California, United States
Point break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Steamer Lane – Indicators
California, United States
Point break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Steamer Lane – Middle Peak
California, United States
Reef break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Steamer Lane – The Slot
California, United States
Point break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Steamer Lane – The Point
California, United States
Point break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Mitchell's Cove
California, United States
Point break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Swift Street
California, United States
Reef break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Stockton Avenue
California, United States
Reef break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
Natural Bridges State Beach
California, United States
Point break
Fri 29
Sat 30
Sun 31
Mon 1
Tue 2
Wed 3
Thu 4
Fri 5
Sat 6
Sun 7
Mon 8
Tue 9
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Readme

Welcome! If you’re new to surf forecasting, check out this quick guide.

Forecast Table

The forecast table (the section on the page with all the numbers) is designed to pack as much information in the screen as possible. Although intimidating at first, it will help you make informed decisions about the waves faster, trust me :D. The table consists of roughly four sections, time and predictions, wind, waves, and tides:

🔮 Time and predictions section

Here we show the forecast thour and the overall surf quality prediction. This is determined based on the wave, wind and tide quality prediction. These individual predictions can be found on the forecast map.

💨 Wind section

The first row on the table (with the 💨 icon) shows wind speed, direction and gust. The more the wind speed the more aggressive the color (from blue, green, orange to red).

🌊 Wave section

The waves section consists of three rows, one for wave height and direction, one for period and one for wave energy. Our algorithm choices the "dominant wave". This is normally the first swell partition, but with heavy local storms it displays the wind waves. If that's the case, we display the numbers in italic and in gray.

🌒 Tide section

The tide section consists of a row with the actual heights per hour (measured at the half hour) and a table that displays the flow of the tide and the extremes (lows and highs).

Forecast map

The forecast map consists of arrows. These arrows represent all wave partitions (swell partitions and wind wave partition) and the wind. This allows you to see things like: a secondary swell or wind waves messes up the surf, or the wind is just a tick offshore so very surfable. Click a metric label in the bottom left to bring that arrow to the front — handy when arrows overlap.

Forecast Cheat Sheet

Short on time? Focus on wave energy. It’s the best single metric to gauge how big and powerful the waves will be.

Click any table cell to jump to that forecast hour. The map will update with forecast arrows, so you can see if wind and swell direction are lining up.

Use the table sidebar to switch units for height and speed.

Log your surf sessions to compare forecasts with real sessions and sharpen future predictions.

Models and Updates

Surfnerd blends multiple global and local wind and swell models using advanced interpolation and spatial techniques to create an "ensemble" forecast. Forecasts are refreshed hourly.

Surf Predictions

Our AI-driven algorithm scores surf quality, shown by green, orange, and gray dots. Each forecast hour is rated for wind, swell, and tide quality, then combined into an overall score. Here’s the scale:

Perfect
Good
Average
Bad or No Data

Session logs also feed the algorithm — the more you log, the smarter your forecasts get.

With Surfnerd, no more "you should have been here yesterday"

Wind certainty

Wind certainty tells you how much the weather models agree on the forecast.

  • High certainty: Models agree closely; forecast is reliable.
  • Medium certainty: Some disagreement; conditions may shift slightly.
  • Low certainty: Models diverge; treat forecast with caution.

We calculate this by comparing wind speed, gust and direction from multiple models (like GFS, ECMWF, Arome, and Harmonie) and seeing how closely they match. They are weighted, meaning that some models count more than others, depending on how good they are for a certain spot.

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