the beach today
SLO County Guide

Avila
Beach

Warmest SLO Bay

The warmest beach on the Central Coast -- sheltered by a natural bay that traps sunlight and blocks the prevailing Pacific wind, Avila Beach averages 5-10 degrees warmer than neighboring beaches. A compact beach village with a promenade, a fishing pier and some of the best sunset dining on the coast.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, tides & water temp

Parking Finder

Garages, lots & meters

Sunset

Sunset countdown & live cam

Dining

Where to eat after the sand

Things to Do

Cruises, sails & tours

Events

What's on this week

Beach Rules

Dogs, drinks, fires, drones

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Avila Beach Main

Village front beach, protected bay, warm water

Front St lot

Shell Beach

Rocky bluff coves and tidepools to the north

Shell Beach Rd

Pirates Cove

Clothing-optional secluded cove north of the pier

Bluff trail hike

Port San Luis Pier

Working fishing pier at the harbor, crabbing access

Harbor lot

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Pismo Beach

10 min south

Pier, Monarch grove and Splash Cafe chowder

San Luis Obispo

20 min east

College town, Mission and Thursday farmers market

Port San Luis Harbor

adjacent

Working harbor with whale-watch and fishing boats

Sycamore Mineral Springs

5 min east

Hot springs resort in the hills above Avila

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Avila Beach. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Rough water today. No weather alert for Avila Beach, but the forecast has waves to 6 ft. Fine for a walk, not for a swim. Right now at Avila Beach, the water is 68°F, surf is running 6–7 ft and the air is 69°F. Wind is 7 mph from the SW and the UV index peaks at 4 (moderate) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 41 minutes right now. Today’s tides: High 5:24 AM, Low 10:35 AM, High 4:00 PM, Low 11:08 PM. Dogs are not allowed right now. Allowed again from 5 PM.