Encinitas (Moonlight / Swami's)
Shark Weather report · updated Sun Oct 18, 4:22 pm PT
Sunrise/sunset calculated for this beach’s location (NOAA solar equations, ±2 min). Tides: NOAA CO-OPS predictions, La Jolla (9410230), 20 km away, feet above MLLW.
Surf/swim conditions only, never shark risk. How it's calculated
We have no approved official shark advisory or closure for this beach right now. Sharks live along this whole coast, so always check with lifeguards and posted signs.
No past official advisories on file for this beach yet. How this works
10 AM–1 PM · light wind (up to 5 mph), mid tide, falling
💨 Mid-window wind: Light onshore, 5 mph from SW: light texture
⚠ Beach Hazards Statement, High rip current risk (NWS) in effect: even the best window may be rough. Check the alerts above.
Daylight hours only (sunrise 6:56 am, sunset 6:11 pm). From the NWS hourly forecast (wind) and NOAA CO-OPS hourly tide predictions (La Jolla, 20 km away). Surf/swim conditions only, not a safety rating. How it works
Active NWS alerts
⚠ Beach Hazards Statement
Beach Hazards Statement issued October 18 at 12:43PM PDT until October 20 at 9:00AM PDT by NWS San Diego CA
Details from NWS
* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents and breaking waves. Surf of 3 to 6 feet with local sets to 7 feet, primarily for south-facing beaches. * WHERE...San Diego County Coastal Areas and Orange County Coastal Areas. Highest waves on south and southwest facing beaches. * WHEN...Now through Tuesday morning. * IMPACTS...There is an increased risk of ocean drowning. Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Minor beach erosion may occur across south-facing beaches.
Source: NWS San Diego CA · until Tue Oct 20, 9:00 am PT
Live cam
Moonlight Beach Live Cam · by Moonlight Beach Rental (opens their site; not affiliated with Shark Weather). Cams can be offline and are not a safety tool.
7-day outlook
Today Oct 18
Mon Oct 19
Tue Oct 20
Wed Oct 21
Thu Oct 22
Fri Oct 23
Sat Oct 24
Weather, wind and rain chance: National Weather Service (This Afternoon onward), updated Sun Oct 18, 1:11 pm PT. High / overnight low. “n/a” = NWS gave no rain chance. Waves: NWS surf zone forecast (San Diego County Coastal Areas), issued Sun Oct 18, 12:39 pm PT; it only covers the next few days, so “—” means no official wave forecast.
Conditions
Waves
Significant wave height 0.8 m · dominant period 17 s · from 228° (SW)
Leucadia Nearshore buoy, 2 km away, as of 2:56 pm PT · NOAA NDBC · Data courtesy of CDIP (station 262). Buoys measure offshore; breaking surf at the beach can differ.
Surf zone forecastNWS
Beach Hazards Statement Through 9 Am TuesdayHigh Rip Current Risk| Period | This Afternoon Through Monday |
| Surf height | 3 to 6 feet |
| Rip current risk | High |
| Water temp (NWS) | 66 to 73 degrees |
| Remarks | Mixed south swell from 210 degrees and west swell from 280 degrees |
San Diego County Coastal Areas · issued Sun Oct 18, 12:39 pm PT · NWS Surf Zone Forecast
Water temp
Wetsuit meter: Swimsuit / boardshorts
Leucadia Nearshore buoy (CDIP 262), 2 km away, as of 2:56 pm PT · Data courtesy of CDIP. The wetsuit meter is a general comfort guide.
Weather & wind
This Afternoon: Sunny, 78°F, wind 10 mph NW
- Tonight: Mostly Clear, 66°
- Monday: Patchy Fog then Sunny, 74°
National Weather Service (SGX) forecast, updated Sun Oct 18, 1:11 pm PT
💨 Moderate cross-onshore, 10 mph from NW: bumpy (how)
Tides today
| Tide | Time (PT) | Height |
|---|---|---|
| High | 7:16 am | 3.6 ft |
| Low | 9:40 am | 3.5 ft |
| High | 3:13 pm | 4.1 ft |
| Low | 11:25 pm | 0.8 ft |
NOAA CO-OPS predictions, La Jolla (9410230), 20 km away · feet above MLLW
Water quality
Official status today: County of San Diego: Beach & Bay Water Quality
No open posting within 1.5 km in the state data. Most recent nearby: Posting on 2025-10-07, reopened 2025-10-09.
CA State Water Resources Control Board beach postings (ODC-By). Latest record in the dataset: 2026-03-06. It lags behind real time, so use the county link for today.
After rain: county health officers advise staying out of ocean water for at least 72 hours after rain (a “rain advisory”). We haven’t found an official machine-readable rain-advisory feed we can use, so check the county link above.
Weekly A–F grades: Heal the Bay Beach Report Card. We link to it instead of copying their grades.
Lifeguards
Encinitas Marine Safety
Official site. Ask the nearest tower about conditions, rip currents and any wildlife sightings.
In an emergency call 911.
SwellNDBC
| Primary swell | SW 2.3 ft @ 15.4 s |
| Wind waves (secondary) | SW 1.0 ft @ 9.9 s |
This swell reaches here well (by our estimated swell window)
Swell window for this beach (estimate)
Reaches well from: 200–295° · partly from: 180–199°, 296–310° (directions the swell comes from, degrees true). Open beach/reef breaks; picks up most swell angles. Estimate only: bearings read from coastline orientation and generally known exposure (island/point shadowing), roughly ±15°, not surveyed.
Leucadia Nearshore buoy (46274), 2 km offshore, spectral summary as of 3:56 pm PT · NOAA NDBC · Data courtesy of CDIP (station 262). Height in feet (converted from meters), period in seconds, direction the waves come from.
Beach info
| Parking | Free parking lot at Moonlight Beach. |
| Restrooms | Yes |
| Showers | Yes |
| Lifeguards | Year-round lifeguard service at Moonlight Beach (Marine Safety Center 8 a.m.–dusk); other towers 10 a.m.–6 p.m. in summer. |
From official pages: encinitasca.gov · page 2. Checked 2026-10-18. Rules, fees and hours change; follow posted signs and lifeguards.