Shark Weather

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Laguna Beach (Main Beach)

Shark Weather report · updated Sun Oct 18, 4:22 pm PT

Sunrise6:58 am
Sunset6:14 pm
Tides todayHigh 7:09 am 3.6 ftLow 10:00 am 3.5 ftHigh 3:27 pm 4.2 ftLow 11:32 pm 0.8 ft

Sunrise/sunset calculated for this beach’s location (NOAA solar equations, ±2 min). Tides: NOAA CO-OPS predictions, Newport Bay Entrance (9410580), 11 km away, feet above MLLW.

Heads up: Shark Weather is not a lifeguard or an official warning system. Always follow posted signs and lifeguard instructions. In an emergency call 911.
Conditions score
5
Hazard flag
Waves 4/4 + wind 2/3 + water 3/3 = 9; capped at 5 by Beach Hazards Statement, High rip current risk (NWS)

Surf/swim conditions only, never shark risk. How it's calculated

Shark advisory status · official only
No official advisory on file

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

SwellS 4.3 ft @ 16.7 sThis swell reaches here well (estimate)
Wind nowModerate onshore10 mph from W: bumpy
Best window tomorrow

10 AM–1 PM · light wind (up to 5 mph), mid tide, falling

💨 Mid-window wind: Light cross-onshore, 5 mph from S: 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 6:58 am, sunset 6:13 pm). From the NWS hourly forecast (wind) and NOAA CO-OPS hourly tide predictions (Newport Bay Entrance, 11 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

Watch the live cam ↗

Main Beach Webcam · by City of Laguna Beach Marine Safety (opens their site; not affiliated with Shark Weather). Cams can be offline and are not a safety tool.

7-day outlook

Today Oct 18

80° / 63°
Sunny
Wind 10 mph W
onshore: bumpy
Rain 1%
Waves 3–6 ft

Mon Oct 19

75° / 63°
Patchy Fog then Sunny
Wind 0 to 5 mph S
cross-onshore: light texture
Rain 1%
Waves 3–6 ft

Tue Oct 20

73° / 63°
Mostly Sunny
Wind 0 to 10 mph S
cross-onshore: bumpy
Rain 23%
Waves 3–6 ft

Wed Oct 21

71° / 61°
Chance Light Rain then Showers And Thunderstorms
Wind 5 to 10 mph S
cross-onshore: bumpy
Rain 90%
Waves —

Thu Oct 22

66° / 59°
Rain Showers
Wind 5 to 10 mph S
cross-onshore: bumpy
Rain 81%
Waves —

Fri Oct 23

67° / 60°
Sunny
Wind 5 to 10 mph SW
onshore: bumpy
Rain 3%
Waves —

Sat Oct 24

72° / 62°
Sunny
Wind 0 to 5 mph N
cross-offshore: clean
Rain 4%
Waves —

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 (Orange 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

4.3 ft

Significant wave height 1.3 m · dominant period 17 s · from 198° (SSW)

Green Beach Offshore buoy, 26 km away, as of 3:00 pm PT · NOAA NDBC · Data courtesy of CDIP (station 271). Buoys measure offshore; breaking surf at the beach can differ.

Surf zone forecastNWS

Beach Hazards Statement Through 9 Am TuesdayHigh Rip Current Risk
PeriodThis Afternoon Through Monday
Surf height3 to 6 feet
Rip current riskHigh
Water temp (NWS)70 to 73 degrees
RemarksMixed south swell from 200 degrees and west swell from 270 degrees

Orange County Coastal Areas · issued Sun Oct 18, 12:39 pm PT · NWS Surf Zone Forecast

Water temp

73°F

Wetsuit meter: Swimsuit / boardshorts

ColdWarm

Green Beach Offshore buoy (CDIP 271), 26 km away, as of 3:00 pm PT · Data courtesy of CDIP. The wetsuit meter is a general comfort guide.

Weather & wind

This Afternoon: Sunny, 80°F, wind 10 mph W

  • Tonight: Mostly Clear, 63°
  • Monday: Patchy Fog then Sunny, 75°

National Weather Service (SGX) forecast, updated Sun Oct 18, 1:11 pm PT

💨 Moderate onshore, 10 mph from W: bumpy (how)

Tides today

TideTime (PT)Height
High7:09 am3.6 ft
Low10:00 am3.5 ft
High3:27 pm4.2 ft
Low11:32 pm0.8 ft

NOAA CO-OPS predictions, Newport Bay Entrance (9410580), 11 km away · feet above MLLW

Water quality

Official status today: OC Health Care Agency: OC Beachinfo

No open posting within 1.5 km in the state data. Most recent nearby: Posting on 2026-03-03, reopened 2026-03-05.

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

Laguna Beach Marine Safety

Official site. Ask the nearest tower about conditions, rip currents and any wildlife sightings.

In an emergency call 911.

SwellNDBC

Primary swellS 4.3 ft @ 16.7 s
Wind waves (secondary)SW 1.3 ft @ 9.5 s

This swell reaches here well (by our estimated swell window)

Swell window for this beach (estimate)

Reaches well from: 180–230° · partly from: 231–275° (directions the swell comes from, degrees true). Open to south swell; west swell partly shadowed by Catalina and the coastline. Estimate only: bearings read from coastline orientation and generally known exposure (island/point shadowing), roughly ±15°, not surveyed.

Green Beach Offshore buoy (46277), 26 km offshore, spectral summary as of 4:00 pm PT · NOAA NDBC · Data courtesy of CDIP (station 271). Height in feet (converted from meters), period in seconds, direction the waves come from.

Beach info

RestroomsAt both ends of the beach.
ShowersOutdoor showers at both ends.
Surf / swim rulesSurfing is not permitted on Main Beach during the summer months.
Good to knowShorebreak beach; the city warns surf can be large with rip currents and heavy shore break.

From official pages: lagunabeachcity.net. Checked 2026-10-18. Rules, fees and hours change; follow posted signs and lifeguards.