Beach Guide

Beach Conditions

Santa Monica · loading live data…

green

12 ft

surf

Sunny, high near 90°. Rain chance peaks at 45% around 2 PM. Best beach window: 8 AM to 2 PM.

estimate

Slide Through the Day

drag the slider
12 PM

or watch the whole day fly by

88°

Air

84°

Water

11 mph

Wind

10

UV

10%

Rain

Hour by Hour

tap an hour

Rain Outlook

tap an hour
6 AM10 AM2 PM6 PM9 PM

Peak rain chance 45% around 2 PM — plan beach time outside that window.

Tide

0.3 ft · falling ↘

12A6A12P6P12A
High 7:54 AM
Low 12:24 PM
High 8:18 PM
drag the chart to scrub

Wind

NESW

11 mph

from the E

UV Index

10

Very High

reapply every 80 min

Time to Burn

UV 10 · incl. sand glare
14min

for unprotected fair skin (burns easily, tans a little). SPF 50, reapply every 80 minutes and after every swim.

Strongest 9 AM to 6 PM · peaks at UV 10

An estimate from the standard erythemal dose model, not a medical limit. Darker skin burns more slowly than this, people vary either way, and sunscreen only helps if you use enough of it and reapply.

Rip Current Riskestimated

today
ESCAPE: SWIM PARALLEL
Low
Moderate
High

Calm pattern today. Currents can still surprise — keep kids within reach.

Caught in one? Don’t fight it. Swim parallel to the beach until you’re free, then angle back in.

Beach Flag

Green Flag

calm, swim easy

estimated · trust the lifeguard

Water Quality

bacteria testing

Santa Monica has been posted or closed for bacteria 225 times since 2022, most often for bacterial standards violation.

37
2022
23
2023
57
2024
86
2025
22
2026

This is history, not today. The state archive runs months behind (through 2026-03-06), so check the county for the current posting.

Today’s official result

Source: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services

Water by Monthtypical

avg 2021–2024
59
J
58
F
58
M
59
A
62
M
65
J
68
J
71
A
70
S
66
O
62
N
60
D

Warmest around August (71°), coolest around February (58°).

surf’s up (gently)

Tides are NOAA predictions (Santa Monica station 9410840); temps, wind, UV, waves and water temp are live from Open-Meteo; rip current risk from the NWS surf-zone forecast. Flag status is estimated from wave height and wind, so always trust the lifeguard’s actual flag over this app.

Right now at Santa Monica, the water is 75°F, surf is running 3–4 ft and the air is 72°F but feels like 77°F. Wind is 3 mph from the SSE and the UV index peaks at 7 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 240 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. Rip current risk is moderate (NWS). Santa Monica has been posted or closed for bacteria 225 times since 2022, about 45 a year, most often for bacterial standards violation.