the beach today
Orange County Coast Guide

Crystal Cove

Undeveloped Gem

Three miles of undeveloped state beach with 1930s historic cottages, world-class tide pools, and an underwater marine preserve.

Today on the Sand

loading live data…

Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Pelican Point

Northernmost cove, rocky tidepools

State lot - $15/day

Los Trancos Beach

Historic cottages, Beachcomber Cafe

Main Historic District

Reef Point

Southernmost access, snorkeling reef

State lot - $15/day

El Moro Beach

Wide sand, El Moro Canyon trails

El Moro lot - $15/day

Scotchman's Cove

Rock scrambling, sea caves, low tide

PCH roadside

Treasure Cove

Isolated - backcountry trail access

Hike in

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

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

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Laguna Beach

10 min south

30 coves, Pageant of the Masters, galleries

Newport Beach

10 min north

Harbor, Balboa Island, the Wedge

Corona del Mar

8 min north

Village, tide pools, Rocky Beach

Dana Point

20 min south

Harbor, whale watching, Lantern District

see you on the sand

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

Right now at Crystal Cove, the water is 74°F, surf is running 3–4 ft and the air is 72°F. Wind is 9 mph from the W and the UV index peaks at 7 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 111 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 12 PM to 4 PM. Today’s tides: High 1:17 PM, Low 10:12 PM.