Lower Trestles Surf Forecast
Southern California, CA · World-tour cobblestone A-frame at San Onofre.
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Lower Trestles Spot Guide
Best swell
Ideal size
Best wind
The wave
Local knowledge
Lowers is surfing's skate park: a cobble fan at the creek mouth that bends S and NW swell into flawless two-way ramps, hosting world-title showdowns since the 1990s. The walk in past Uppers, board under arm at dawn, is one of the sport's great commutes.
Nearby spots
- San Onofre (Old Man's) 2 mi · Southern California
- Swami's (Encinitas) 30 mi · San Diego
- Huntington Beach Pier 30 mi · Southern California
- Ocean Beach (San Diego) 48 mi · San Diego
- El Porto (Manhattan Beach) 60 mi · Southern California
FAQ
What swell direction works best at Lower Trestles?
SW swell hits Lower Trestles straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from SSE (150°) through WNW (290°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.
What wind is best at Lower Trestles?
NE wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. SW wind is straight onshore and chops it up; light wind under ~5 kn is fine from any direction.
When is the best time of year to surf Lower Trestles?
This stretch faces south, so it specialises in Southern Hemisphere S swells (April-September), while winter NW swell has to wrap in. Fall offers the best of both with clean conditions.
What's the best tide at Lower Trestles?
Low to mid. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.
Is Lower Trestles good for beginners?
The skill median is world-class; confident surfers only, and expect to hustle for waves.
How warm is the water at Lower Trestles?
Roughly 57°F at its late-winter coldest to about 70°F in late summer. In practice that means a 4/3 in winter and a spring suit in summer. The forecast above shows the current water temperature.
How far out is this forecast reliable?
The wave model has real skill to about 10 days, and we cut the chart there instead of padding it with guesses. Days 1-3 are solid, 4-7 useful, 8-10 a trend heads-up - and we publish our measured error against NOAA buoys, updated continuously.
Forecast from TrueSwell's own physics-based wave model (exposure → refraction → breaking, every swell train separately), built on public NOAA and Open-Meteo data and scored daily against NDBC buoy observations. How the model works →