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Crystal Pier 61.1

#3066 of 5756 surf spots in the world · 🇺🇸 United States of America · California · near San Diego

Very consistent, wind is the enemy here, no off season.

Works all yearBeginner friendlyBeginner
Crystal Pier, United States of America
Photo: Dirk Hansen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Surf score61.1 /100
Surfable days89% of the year
Clean days19% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell35% period 11 s+
Typical size0.8 m 2.6 ft median
Water18°C a 3/2 wetsuit

Best time to surf Crystal Pier

The best time to surf Crystal Pier is April, May, June. It rarely works. In May the water sits around 17°C, so pack a 3/2 wetsuit, and the typical wave is 0.9 m. The nearest airport is SAN (11 km) and the nearest town is San Diego (14 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan82%18%0.8 m16°C3/2
Feb72%8%0.7 m16°C3/2
Mar91%20%0.8 m17°C3/2
Apr99%30%0.9 m18°C3/2
May100%33%0.9 m17°C3/2
Jun99%24%0.8 m19°C3/2
Jul94%22%0.8 m20°C2mm
Aug95%17%0.7 m22°C2mm
Sep97%23%0.8 m20°C2mm
Oct93%16%0.7 m18°C3/2
Nov72%8%0.7 m18°C3/2
Dec77%13%0.8 m17°C3/2

Why 61.1

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and multiplied by its weight; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world scores 100. Wave quality and what the spot does on its best days carry more than half of it, which is what separates this from a ranking of where the water is warm.

Wave quality 34.7%
18.2
Best days 22.4%
5.4
Clean days 18.4%
8.6
Consistency 10.2%
10.2
Season spread 4.1%
4.1
Water comfort 6.1%
2.3
Access 4.1%
4.0

The detail

Faces n/a with 0% open water around it. Friendly morning wind n/a. Mean peak period 13.3 s. Days over 3 m: 0%. On its best tenth of days it reaches 1.1 m, with a peak period of 16 s. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 93%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates 32.831, -117.219 (OpenStreetMap).

What it costs to be here

Living here
€2,460/ month
typically €2,160 – €2,760
Rent, one bedroom€1,290
Groceries€517
Eating out€295
Getting around€172
Phone + internet€184
Renting by the month, cooking most days, local transport.
One month here
€4,800/ month
typically €4,220 – €5,370
Somewhere to stay€2,830
Eating out€1,010
Car, transfers, fuel€652
Data + extras€308
Short stays, eating out, a car or transfers.
49% cheaper if you live here instead of visiting

Airport and town on the doorstep, so the local estimate is 23% above the country average. Estimate: World Bank PPP price level for United States of America (2025, United States = 1.00) applied to a fixed surfer basket, then adjusted for how remote the spot is. Your own number moves with the season and how you live.

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Sumba has eight spots in this ranking, the best of them inside the world top 50. A cabin is €11,500. The land it sits on is separate, from €6,500 (€9,950 oceanfront), on an 80-year lease that extends at the end. Water, septic and electricity are another €6,500, and furniture is on top, so a finished cabin lands around €28,000 plus the land, payable in instalments.

Eco Beach City is run by the same people as SurfRanking, so treat this as our own advert, not a recommendation. It is an off-plan property in Indonesia: take your own legal and financial advice before paying anything.

Spots nearby

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