Carlsbad State Beach
Carlsbad · San Diego County · California
Visibility Breakdown
Visibility by position
Solid = diver report · outlined = our reading
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. Haze can sit near the surface, so the water is usually clearer the deeper you go.
Through the day
Today's visibility readings at this spot, shown at the hour each one was taken.
Every bar is a reading for the Post Break zone.
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Coastal Bulletin
About Carlsbad State Beach
Current notices
Why it reads 16 ft
High confidence
7-Day Forecast
Today is the live headline above. Tomorrow onward is the algorithm's forecast from predicted swell, wind, and rain, updated each morning and at 6 PM Pacific.
Map and parking
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Paid state day-use lot off Carlsbad Boulevard near Tamarack Avenue, plus free residential street parking one block east.
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See the offshore water on Pelagiscape →Clarity, temperature breaks and kelp off this beach.
About Carlsbad State Beach
Carlsbad State Beach fronts the city of Carlsbad in northern San Diego County, a long sand-and-cobble shoreline that runs from the warm-water jetties just south of Tamarack Avenue north to Carlsbad Village Drive. A seawall holds the upper edge for the whole length, with a paved walking promenade along the top. Tower 33 sits mid-beach as the main lifeguard station, and the old Encina Power Station site, its 400-foot stack taken down in 2021, lies south beyond the jetties. Carlsbad Boulevard runs along the bluff above. South Carlsbad State Beach, a separate state-beach unit best known for its bluff-top campground, begins about 3 miles farther south, near Poinsettia Lane.
Species found here
Researched habitat and range candidates. A listed species may be seasonal or depth-limited; this is not a confirmed sighting at this location.
Spot strategies
Rocky Reef
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