the beach today
Dana Point Coast Guide

Doheny
State Beach

First State Beach

Everything for a day at Doheny, from surf and tides to the campground, the tidepools and where to eat after in Dana Point Harbor. A mellow longboard break and wide sand at the mouth of San Juan Creek, with the West Coast's whale-watching capital right next door.

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

Doheny State Beach

Wide sand and a longboard break at the creek mouth

State day-use lot

Baby Beach

Calm protected cove inside Dana Point Harbor

Harbor lot

Capistrano Beach

Wide flat sand with courts just south at Capo Beach

Beach Rd lot

Salt Creek Beach

Surf and bluff trails below the Monarch Beach resorts

County lot

Strands Beach

Secluded sand under the Dana Point headland bluffs

Stairs and funicular

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

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

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Dana Point Harbor

adjacent

Whale watching, harbor dining and Baby Beach

San Juan Capistrano

10 min inland

Historic Mission and the return of the swallows

San Clemente

10 min south

Pier, Spanish village and the beach trail

Laguna Beach

15 min north

Coves, tidepools and the art colony

see you on the sand

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

Right now at Doheny, the air is 74°F. Wind is 6 mph from the WSW and the UV index peaks at 5 (moderate) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 30 minutes right now. Today’s tides: High 4:50 AM, Low 10:00 AM, High 3:31 PM, Low 10:37 PM. Whether dogs are allowed here depends on which part of the beach you are on.