Dawn patrol surfing in San Onofre

San Onofre, California

Updated February 10, 2026 at 8:51 PM · Dialed recommendations refresh every 30 minutes based on tide, wind, and crowd telemetry from Quiver.

First light in San Onofre means glass, empty peaks, and the best conditions of the day before thermal onshores build. These 7 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(7)

Church

Beginner friendly

No description available.

Cottons

Intermediate

No description available.

Lower Trestles

Intermediate

Lower Trestles stands as California's proving ground for progressive surfing, rated 9/10 for wave quality.

Middles

Beginner friendly

No description available.

San Onofre State Beach

Beginner friendly

San Onofre State Beach represents California's surf culture birthplace, the "Waikiki of California" with gentle longboard waves rated 6/10 for consistency but 4/10 for performance.

Trails

Beginner friendly

No description available.

Upper Trestles

Intermediate

Upper Trestles offers high-performance cobblestone rights, rated 8/10, working best on west to northwest swells (240-315°, center 280°).

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 San Onofre rewards this type of session objective.

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