In southern San Diego County, Southern California, Imperial Beach is an excellent beach break that unloads over well-defined sand bars. The waves here are heavy in winter when the beach turns on, breaking for up to 50 meters providing thick almond-shaped barrels up and down the beach. Be aware of a tough paddle out when big and water that is often polluted.
What are the best surf conditions for Imperial Beach?
The beach gets good between waist high and triple overhead. A shortboard is good here most days, but a step up is best when bigger. Beginners will find opportunities to surf here in the summers, but the beach turns to intermediates and advanced surfers only in the winter months. The surf here is pretty consistent (6/10) and is generally uncrowded in winter although summer is a different story (5/10). Offshore winds blow from the East. The best swells are from the Northwest and West. Works best on a mid to high tide.
We recommend wearing a 3/2 wetsuit in the summer when the water temperatures rise to 20 degrees. In the winter a 4/3 might be best when water temperatures drop to 15 degrees. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
