Located in La Jolla, San Diego County, Southern County, Horseshoe is an excellent reef break that explodes onto a shallow, sharp rocky reef. The waves here are heavy, ledgy, and fast from take off to the end. The wave breaks for about 50 meters, delivering wide and deep pits to blast through.
What are the best surf conditions for Horseshoe?
Gets good starting at waist high all the way to triple overhead. A shortboard is good here when it’s smaller, but a step up is best when it starts pushing past overhead. Horseshoe is an advanced surfers only break, really dangerous for others due to the small margin of error on the takeoff. It takes a specific swell to work, so this spot is pretty inconsistent (4/10). However, the locals will be frothing when it’s good, leading to a difficult at best and hostile at worst lineup (8/10). Offshore winds blow from the East. Needs a big West swell to break well. Best on a mid-tide.
We recommend wearing a 3/2 wetsuit in the summer when water temperatures rise to 20 degrees. In the winter a 4/3 is the attire of choice when water temps drop to a chilly 15 degrees. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
