Loading beach details...
Pipes Surf Report
3.2
(14 reviews)·intermediate
·reef·Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CAShare what the waves are like right now
ML-enhanced forecast
Loading beach details...
Share what the waves are like right now
Pipes works best on clean W to NW swells in the 3-7 foot range on a rising mid-tide (2.5-4 ft). The rising tide is key here—it fills in over the reef progressively, keeping the wave clean and workable as the session goes on. Light east-northeast offshores groom the face perfectly. The reef needs enough swell to break cleanly over the shelf; under 3 feet and the wave is weak and crumbly. Overhead-plus swells can overwhelm the reef and produce close-outs. The Goldilocks zone is 4-6 feet with 12+ second period on a rising tide.