Dawn patrol surfing in La Jolla

La Jolla, California

Updated February 10, 2026 at 8:50 PM · Dialed recommendations refresh every 30 minutes based on tide, wind, and crowd telemetry from Quiver.

First light in La Jolla means glass, empty peaks, and the best conditions of the day before thermal onshores build. These 6 spots are worth the 5am alarm.

Top spot recommendations

Sort your quiver, choose the right tide window, and jot down a backup in case the main peak gets stacked.

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Featured Beaches(6)

Big Rock

Advanced

Big Rock is a heavy, hollow left-hand reef break at the foot of Palomar Avenue. It produces fast stand-up barrels on west swells and is best suited to advanced surfers due to the very shallow reef and powerful waves.

Birdrock

Intermediate

No description available.

Horseshoe

Intermediate

No description available.

La Jolla Shores

Beginner friendly

La Jolla Shores functions as San Diego's most popular beginner beach, rated 7/10 for learning environment.

Scripps

Beginner friendly

Scripps Pier offers beginner to intermediate beach break rated 6/10, with pier structure creating defined peaks on both sides.

Windansea

Advanced

Windansea stands as San Diego's most consistent and iconic break, rated 9/10. This flat rock reef under La Jolla's wealthy neighborhood produces long rights (up to 150m) and short hollow lefts.

What to focus on today

  • Glassy morning conditions before onshore winds
  • Less crowded lineups at sunrise
  • East-facing beaches for sunrise views
  • Spots with easy parking for early arrivals

Session logging tips

Once you wrap the surf, drop a note in your Quiver journal with tide, board, and crowd observations. Over time you'll see crystal-clear patterns about when La Jolla rewards this type of session objective.

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