Seal Beach
Seal Beach · Orange County · California
Visibility Breakdown
First cam reading around 7 AM.
Break Zone: The range of water where the waves break and sediment is stirred up.
Post Break: The range past where any waves are forming, where the water starts to have a significant increase in visibility. There might be some sediment here, but swell energy is diffused and the water is calmer.
Open Water: This zone is far out enough from the shore that the water is at its clearest. It’s deep enough that sediment is not disturbed by the wave energy at the surface.
Solid = measured by a diver · outlined = estimated from the Scripps cam
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Today's forecast
As of Sep 11, 11:15 PM PT · latest available7-Day Forecast
Map · getting there
33.738° N · 118.107° W
Seal Beach, CA 90740
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Open in Apple MapsAbout Seal Beach
Seal Beach is the northernmost beach city in Orange County, immediately east of the Long Beach city line and the San Gabriel River channel. The shoreline is sand-bottom and runs uninterrupted in both directions from the wooden Seal Beach Pier, which extends roughly 1,865 feet from the foot of Main Street. Main Street runs east from the pier through a small downtown of shops and restaurants up to Pacific Coast Highway. The Seal Beach Clock Tower stands in Eisenhower Park at the foot of the pier. Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach sits inland of the city and does not affect beach access.
The bottom is sand from end to end, with breaking surf and no rocky reef or kelp offshore at the named beach. The sand and surf place the spot in the surf zone biome.
Hook-and-line fishing from the pier and from shore is the main use, with surfing and swimming both common. Without rocky structure or kelp to hold fish, snorkeling and scuba are uncommon.
Free 2-hour street parking is available on Ocean Avenue, Main Street, and the side streets near the pier, and several pay lots sit near 8th Street and the pier. Spaces fill on summer weekends. Spearfishing along the named beach is prohibited under Seal Beach Municipal Code Chapter 9.05, which bans use of bow, crossbow, or similar projectile fishing devices on city beach, city pier, or other city property. Hook-and-line fishing remains legal under standard California regulations.
Surf Zone
The surf zone biome consists of sandy beaches and breaking waves. The action of surf disturbing the sand and kicking it up exposes marine invertebrates, buried in their shallow dens. This natural exposure of invertebrates attracts all kinds of fish, looking for an easy meal. Learn more about this biome and the species found in it by clicking the link below.
Learn more in the Biome GlossaryTarget Fish Species
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