The Ultimate Guide to Surfing in Carlsbad
Surfing in Carlsbad takes you far enough north of San Diego to enjoy some of that summer south swell on classic southern California beaches.
An introduction to surfing in Carlsbad
Carlsbad might not be a star of south California, but we’d say it’s a reliable and solid option for surfers on their way along the Pacific Coast.
The town doesn’t have the same charms as, say, Encinitas. Much of it is for military families out of the nearby base, but there is a latent hippy feel to Leucadia in the south. You’ll need to be prepared to travel through all of it in search of the best breaks, which tend to fire on different swell angles and work on different tides.
Talking of those breaks…there’s a good variety in these parts. The majority of the shore is taken by unremarkable but decent beach breaks. They link up as you go from Tamarack to Oceanside in the north. South of the town is a speckling of reefs and artificial jetties, which is where the true quality of surfing in Carlsbad.
Another thing that’s going for this speck on the North County map is its location. San Diego locals can suffer a bit of a summer drought from June to August. Not so in Carlsbad, where the dominant southerly pulses from the Equator work their magic even when the mercury is high.
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>>This is just one part of our guides to surfing in California and surfing on the West Coast
Surfing in Carlsbad at a glance
The good:
The bad:
What’s in this guide to surfing in Carlsbad?
Carlsbad surf spots
We’ll run south to north through all the spots that are reachable on the 101 from Carlsbad, starting in San Diego itself and pushing up through the iconic home of surfing that is Encinitas and beyond…
San Diego
San Diego is one of California’s most iconic surf towns – forget that, it’s one of the world’s most iconic surf towns. The breaks in the city start right on the Mexican border in the south.
From there, they pass Point Loma – a patchwork of off-the-beaten-path reefs that can be great on bigger swells.
Then you get into the famos SD surf spots of Ocean Beach, La Jolla and Blacks Beach. Awesome stuff and a must for all surfers at least once in their lives.
We’ve got a complete guide to surfing in San Diego right here
Blacks Beach
The quality of Blacks Beach is unquestionable.
A trio of separate breaks from this famous spot on the northern reaches of La Jolla in San Diego. Pick your way down the rocky path to the sand and you’ll see em. The southernmost is South Peak, a majestic left that invites big lip turns.
The middle of the beach is a cruisy A-frame where the main line up usually meets. The top end of the bay has a solid right called North Peak – it’s a fast drop in into a tube that’s regularly hollow.
Holds up high, very rippy, some localism, but a bucket-list ride if you can get it.
Encinitas
Just a mention of the name Encinitas is usually enough to excite North County surfers. This is one of the original SoCal surf towns. It’s chilled, easy going, and has breaks for all levels.
The best of them are the reef at Swami’s and the long stretch of beach break in Grandview, which caters to beginners and pros with its fatter sets. Cardiff can also go off with bombing right walls in the winter season.
We’ve got a complete guide to surfing in Encinitas right here
Tamarack
Tamarack Surf Beach is the name for the southernmost portion of Carlsbad Beach itself. It’s noticeably different because here the sandbanks will align along the rivermouth to offer punchier lefts and rights. The jetties play their parts too, shaping the oncoming W swells into neat point breaks that are great on 4-6 feet.
Carlsbad Beach
Come off the north end of the Tamarack promenade to meet peaky beach breaks of Carlsbad Beach. They’re consistent but often lack shape.
Great for all levels on different swells, though we love it on windless morning at mid or high tide when there’s 5-7 foot in the swell. That’s when the A-frames peel in, hollowing out lovely left-hand and right-hand rides through a short barrel and onto the sand.
Oceanside
There are two breaks at Oceanside.
The first is the main beach, where the waves are similar to Carlsbad proper – think peaky A-frames with lefts and rights that are governed by the prevailing sandbanks. High tide sorta’ cuts out any power, leaving whitewash mush for the groms to play on there.
Further north you can meet Oceanside Harbor. It attracts a pretty unfriendly crowd but does give some mighty nice peeling rights that could be worth a little vitriol. It’s a nice spot for longboarders and shortboarders alike.
Where to stay when surfing in Carlsbad?
Carlsbad has some great hotels fringing the coast by its best surf spots. Here are a few that we love or have heard are cracking.
Beach Terrace Inn ($$$)
Just as the name implies, this one’s a corker of a spot to stay if you simply want to experience the ocean. The surf breaks are a hop away from the sunning terraces of your suite. The hotel itself, meanwhile, offers a glorious Pacific-side pool and rooms with 42-inch flat-screen TVs in a SoCal style.
Tamarack Beach Hotel ($$)
Tamarack Beach Hotel is a lovely mid-ranger with plenty of style. The obvious draw for surfers is how close you’ll be to the eponymous break of Tamarack Beach. We also imagine we’d like returning here after a session on the waves – the suites are simple but clean and there’s a flickering fireplace in the lobby. Nice touch.
Carlsbad by the Sea Hotel ($$)
Carlsbad by the Sea Hotel is stylish and modern, but also comes with a nice outdoor pool area. It’s not within walking distance of Carlsbad Beach but gets onto our selection mainly because it’s right by the freeway, which makes it easy to explore surf towns like Encinitas and San Diego on your trip.
When to surf in Carlsbad?
iStock / Art WagerFall is the best time to surf in Carlsbad.
It’s the transition from S to NW swell dominance, which adds variety to the compass direction to help all manner of beach breaks and points in the North County start to work. Those iconic Santa Ana winds also help. They’re not as strong here as in LA but still blow consistently offshore for most of the autumn.
Summer (June-August)
The main complaint with summer surfing in Carlsbad isn’t the lack of swell. It’s the crowds. There’s loads of bodies in the lineup and that makes a hazard in itself.
The swell situation isn’t all that bad, especially when you get the warm-water currents of June and July flowing in from the south (incidentally this is the first place on the Cali coast where SW really hit in earnest).
Early surfs are best, before the winds get going. We’d also recommend having a car or staying right by where you want to surf. That way, you can either explore to lesser-known peaks or get in before sunrise.
Fall (September-October)
The best time to surf in Carlsbad is when the summer crowds leave the North County coast and the swells starts picking up after a quiet summer. Cue Autumn.
Yep, the fall brings in a lovely mix of SW, W and NW swells that can help keep everywhere from Cardiff Reef to Carlsbad Beach churning out the sets.
Combine that with offshore winds, which roll down almost consistently in the mornings from the Santa Ana Mountains and it’s the best time to be paddling out. Woop.
Winter (December-February)
The Pacific really shows its teeth in December, Jan and Feb. For experienced surfers looking for the bigger rides Carlsbad can muster, it’s the season of choice.
Breaks like Oceanside at the harbor and pier can be sheer quality as the NW direction wraps into the bay to feed an almost endless series of right breaks.
Other spots, like Carlsbad Beach itself, don’t fair so well (it’s closeout central).
Spring (March-May)
There’s lots to look forward to if you cometo Carlsbad in the spring.
March is better if you’ve surfed lots before, so you can make the most of the strong NW channel swells that help the world-class waves of Encinitas and the Oceanside Harbor get to their best. Wait for May if you’re learning to surf here. It’s all-round quieter and easier on the paddling muscles, not to mention warmer in the water.
Gear wise, we think a 4/3 and a 3/2 combo with boots for March surfing should see you through.
Surf shops in Carlsbad
Carlsbad is brimming with great surf shops. You can get both pop-out boards in the warehouses and more local service if that’s what you’re after…
- Offshore Surf Shop – A couple of steps off the main beach. They do rentals on everything from foamies to intermediate short boards and are always ready to advise on breaks and whatnot. Good place.
- Sun Diego Boardshop – Surf, ski, skate – all covered here. Big offering of discount clothes at sales times. Nice wetsuit selection for good deals on old season stuff too.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
Overall good summation of SD County surfing. One caveat is with average home prices hitting $1.5M there are few military families left who can afford Carlsbad or even coastal Oceanside anymore.
Also, Ponto & Campgrounds are good+ SB breaks most of the year. Lastly, Terramar is slow & mushy LB spot yet has some of the longest lefts in SoCal.
Hey – thanks for the extra info KC. Much appreciated. It’s sad about the property prices, a phenomenon that we’e heard surfers living on the coast report has only accelerated with the uptick in demand for second homes after the pandemic. Seems it’s happening all over.
This article is hysterical. The “bad” of surfing in Carlsbad is that its “Not the prettiest town in South California.” Because the color of a building impacts the surf conditions, right?