Walking Santa Cruz Beach today

Santa Cruz, California

Updated 4:03 AM PDT

78/ 100

Good for a walk Low-tide window at 5:05 PM is what holds this back.

What decides a walking & shelling score

Air comfort 60°F · 30% of the score 55
Wind 5 mph · 22% of the score 100
Low-tide window 5:05 PM · 20% of the score 55
UV exposure UV 0 · 18% of the score 100
Air quality AQI 30 · 10% of the score 100

Weather & UV · Open-Meteo Water & waves · Open-Meteo Marine Tides · NOAA CO-OPS Air quality · AirNow

Santa Cruz Beach is also scored for

79 Surfing wave size 4.1 ft 54 Families with kids water temperature 61°F

About Santa Cruz Beach

Santa Cruz Beach sits on the California coast, where the water runs from about 55°F in January to 62°F in September.

The water here never averages above 70°F — even in September, the warmest month, it sits around 62°F. Most people wear a wetsuit.

Today it is 61°F. That is 1° above the August average of 60°F here.

Tide predictions come from NOAA station Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay about 0.9 km away inside a bay.

Frequently asked questions

Is Santa Cruz Beach good for a beach walk today?

Good for a walk — we score it 78 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is low-tide window at 5:05 PM.

What makes a good walking & shelling day?

We weight air comfort (30%), wind (22%), low-tide window (20%) and combine them into one score. Conditions we cannot read are left out rather than guessed.

Is low tide better for walking at Santa Cruz Beach?

Yes — a low tide exposes more firm sand. Today's low is at 5:15 AM at 0.1 ft.

Nearby beaches

Monterey State BeachMonterey, California Carmel BeachCarmel-by-the-Sea, California Half Moon Bay BeachHalf Moon Bay, California