the beach today
SoCal Coast Guide

Santa Monica

End of the Trail

Everything for a day at the end of Route 66 — conditions, parking, the pier sunset and where to eat after.

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

Decks, beach lots & meters

Pier & Sunset

Twilight concerts & live cam

Dining

Fish tacos, subs & pier eats

Things to Do

Whale watching & harbor sails

Events

What's on this week

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Santa Monica State Beach

Wide sand · pier & bike path

Lifeguards · Pacific Park

Will Rogers State Beach

Quieter · north end & coves

Metered lots on PCH

Venice Beach

Boardwalk · skate park & gym

Short ride south

Muscle Beach

Open-air rings & weights

Free to watch

Tongva Park

Fountains & ocean overlook

By Civic Center

Annenberg Beach House

Public pool & sand by the sea

North of the pier

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

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

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Venice

10 min south

Boardwalk & canals

Marina del Rey

15 min south

Harbor cruises & sailing

Malibu

25 min north

Surf, coves & seafood

Brentwood

15 min east

Getty Center & canyon hikes

see you on the sand

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

Right now at Santa Monica, the water is 75°F, surf is running 3–4 ft and the air is 73°F but feels like 80°F. Wind is 1 mph from the SSE and the UV index peaks at 7 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 72 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 12 PM to 4 PM. Today’s tides: Low 4:51 AM, High 11:06 AM, Low 5:36 PM, High 11:38 PM.