Santa Cruz Wharf · painted for this minute from Santa Cruz Beach’s own horizon and tonight’s cloud forecast
Golden hour · the sun is 1.7° up · overcast at 100%
The sun goes down at
5:02 PM
T-00:05:00It drops behind land 57 m away to the west-south-west, 9 min before the official sunset time of 5:11 PM. Look west-south-west, to the right of Santa Cruz Wharf. Golden hour starts at 4:34 PM.
Sunset Score · Overcast (100% cover): you may not see the sun go down. Try another night. Thin high clouds (100%) that turn pink after the sun goes down; mid-level clouds (100%) that glow orange from underneath; nothing low on the horizon, so you should see the sun all the way down.
Know Before You Go
Admission
free
Wharf walk and beach access
Best spot
wharf end
180-degree view of Monterey Bay
Wildlife
sea otters
resident kelp raft near Cowell's
Landmark
Giant Dipper
lit up after sunset on the Boardwalk
see you at sunset
Tonight’s times, the week ahead and the year by month are below. Santa Cruz Sunset runs nightly, weather permitting, from about two hours before sunset.
Tonight, Monday, November 2, the sun sets at 5:11 PM at Santa Cruz Beach. From the sand it drops behind land 187 feet away 9 min earlier, at 5:02 PM. Golden hour starts at 4:34 PM, and the sky stays light until about 5:37 PM. Tonight's Sunset Score is 3 out of 10. Overcast (100% cover): you may not see the sun go down. Try another night.
Sunrise today was at 6:34 AM, which gives Santa Cruz Beach 10 hr 37 min of daylight. It is fully dark by about 6:08 PM.
The next seven evenings at Santa Cruz Beach: when the sun goes down, when golden hour starts and when the last light fades, plus the Sunset Score from each night's cloud forecast.
| Day | Sunset | Golden hour | Last light | Cloud | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonight | 5:02 PM | from 4:34 PM | 5:37 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Tue Nov 3 | 5:00 PM | from 4:33 PM | 5:36 PM | 100% | 3/10 |
| Wed Nov 4 | 4:59 PM | from 4:31 PM | 5:35 PM | 10% | 5/10 |
| Thu Nov 5 | 4:58 PM | from 4:30 PM | 5:34 PM | 0% | 5/10 |
| Fri Nov 6 | 4:57 PM | from 4:29 PM | 5:33 PM | 86% | 3/10 |
| Sat Nov 7 | 4:56 PM | from 4:28 PM | 5:33 PM | 0% | 5/10 |
| Sun Nov 8 | 4:55 PM | from 4:27 PM | 5:32 PM | 5% | 5/10 |
On nights the sun drops behind land, the table shows the time it disappears from the beach, which is earlier than the official sunset.
Tonight the sun goes down in the west-south-west (251° on a compass), to the right of Santa Cruz Wharf as you face the water. The favorite place to watch is Santa Cruz Wharf.
Tonight’s timeline for Santa Cruz Sunset is at the top of this page.
The spot where the sun sets moves along the horizon through the year. Around June 21 it goes down furthest north, in the west-north-west (299°); around December 21 it goes down furthest south, in the west-south-west (239°). In June it drops behind land 1132 feet away. In December it drops behind land 131 feet away.
Golden hour tonight runs from 4:34 PM to sunset at 5:11 PM. The sun is low, the light is warm and soft, and shadows are long. It is the best time for photos of people on the beach.
Blue hour follows, from about 5:27 PM to 5:47 PM, when the sun is below the horizon and the sky turns deep blue. The first lights come on along the shore and the water holds the last of the color.
Sunrise, sunset and daylight on the 15th of each month. Over the next year the earliest sunset is 4:53 PM (Sun Dec 6) and the latest is 8:33 PM (Mon Jun 28). Times are local and include daylight saving time where it applies.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 6:48 AM | 5:00 PM | 10 hr 12 min |
| December 2026 | 7:15 AM | 4:54 PM | 9 hr 38 min |
| January 2027 | 7:22 AM | 5:16 PM | 9 hr 54 min |
| February 2027 | 6:58 AM | 5:49 PM | 10 hr 51 min |
| March 2027 | 7:21 AM | 7:16 PM | 11 hr 55 min |
| April 2027 | 6:35 AM | 7:43 PM | 13 hr 8 min |
| May 2027 | 6:02 AM | 8:10 PM | 14 hr 8 min |
| June 2027 | 5:49 AM | 8:30 PM | 14 hr 41 min |
| July 2027 | 6:01 AM | 8:29 PM | 14 hr 28 min |
| August 2027 | 6:26 AM | 8:02 PM | 13 hr 36 min |
| September 2027 | 6:51 AM | 7:18 PM | 12 hr 27 min |
| October 2027 | 7:17 AM | 6:33 PM | 11 hr 17 min |
The official sunset time is when the top of the sun sinks below a flat sea horizon. We also check Santa Cruz Beach’s real horizon: the hills, headlands and islands you can see from the sand. When land is in the way, the sun disappears before the official time, and we show you that earlier time. The Sunset Score rates how colorful the sky should be from the cloud forecast at sunset. Buildings are not included, so a tall hotel beside you can still hide the last minute.
The sun sets at 5:11 PM at Santa Cruz Beach today (Monday, November 2). From the beach it drops behind land 9 min earlier, at 5:02 PM.
The sun rose at 6:34 AM at Santa Cruz Beach today.
10 hr 37 min of daylight, from 6:34 AM to 5:11 PM.
Golden hour at Santa Cruz Beach runs from 4:34 PM to sunset at 5:11 PM, when the sun is low and the light turns warm and soft. Blue hour follows, from 5:27 PM to 5:47 PM.
The sky stays light enough to see without a flashlight until about 5:37 PM, the end of civil twilight. It is fully dark by about 6:08 PM.
Tonight's Sunset Score is 3 out of 10, from the cloud forecast at sunset. Overcast (100% cover): you may not see the sun go down. Try another night.
Tonight the sun sets in the west-south-west, at 251° on a compass. Through the year it moves between the west-north-west in June and the west-south-west in December.
Not tonight. The sun drops behind land 187 feet away, to the west-south-west.
Over the next year the earliest sunset at Santa Cruz Beach is 4:53 PM on Sunday, December 6, and the latest is 8:33 PM on Monday, June 28.
Santa Cruz Wharf is the favorite spot at Santa Cruz Beach. Get there 30 to 45 minutes before sunset for a good place, and stay 20 minutes after for the afterglow.
| Capitola Beach sunset | 4 mi | 5:11 PM |
|---|---|---|
| Monterey State Beach sunset | 26 mi | 5:11 PM |
| Carmel Beach sunset | 29 mi | 5:12 PM |
| Half Moon Bay State Beach sunset | 45 mi | 5:12 PM |
| Pfeiffer Beach sunset | 51 mi | 5:12 PM |
| Ocean Beach San Francisco sunset | 61 mi | 5:12 PM |
See every beach on one map: sunset times tonight across the US →