Capitola jetty 86.8
#1172 of 5753 surf spots in the world · 🇺🇸 United States of America · California · near Santa Cruz
Works almost every day, clean mornings are the norm, no off season.
Best time to surf Capitola jetty
The best time to surf Capitola jetty is January, March, April. The season runs Sep to May. In January the water sits around 14°C, so pack a 4/3 with boots, and the typical wave is 1.5 m. The nearest airport is SJC (44 km) and the nearest town is Santa Cruz (7 km).
| Month | Surfable | Clean | Size | Water | Suit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 99% | 81% | 1.5 m | 14°C | 4/3 |
| Feb | 99% | 65% | 1.1 m | 14°C | 4/3 |
| Mar | 100% | 70% | 1.3 m | 13°C | 4/3 |
| Apr | 100% | 69% | 1.2 m | 14°C | 4/3 |
| May | 100% | 46% | 1.2 m | 12°C | 5/4 |
| Jun | 100% | 29% | 1.0 m | 12°C | 5/4 |
| Jul | 99% | 27% | 0.9 m | 13°C | 4/3 |
| Aug | 99% | 30% | 0.9 m | 15°C | 4/3 |
| Sep | 100% | 52% | 1.0 m | 16°C | 4/3 |
| Oct | 99% | 68% | 1.0 m | 15°C | 4/3 |
| Nov | 98% | 64% | 1.1 m | 14°C | 4/3 |
| Dec | 97% | 64% | 1.4 m | 14°C | 4/3 |
Why 86.8
Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and weighted; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world is 100.
The detail
Faces 165° with 25% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 96% of days. Mean peak period 12.0 s. Days over 3 m: 1%. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 64%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates 36.971, -121.948 (OpenStreetMap).
Spots nearby
Filters by month, level and water, map, side by side comparison and a trip planner.