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Del Mar City Beach

Del Mar · San Diego County · California

Today’s conditions · not a forecast

Visibility Breakdown

Updated through the day · times PT
Last reading 7:01 AM

Visibility by position

Break Zone
12ft
reviewed reading
Post Break
headline zone
21ft
reviewed reading
Open Water
31ft
reviewed reading

Solid = diver report · outlined = our reading

Cross-section from the sand out to open water, split into 3 visibility zones: Break Zone (0-50 ft from shore), Post Break (50-200 ft from shore), Open Water (200+ ft from shore).
Shore
Break Zone
0-50 ft from shore
Post Break
50-200 ft from shore
Open Water
200+ ft from shore

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.

21 ✓
7a
9a
soon
10a
soon
11a
soon
1p
soon
3p
soon
5p
soon

Did you dive today?Please share the visibility to make our algorithm more accurate.

Report visibility
Entry type
Shore
Parking
Metered street + lots
Spearfishing
Legal
Stingray risk
Medium
Water quality
A+ · graded Aug 21
Green flag: water open County: Open · Oct 27
Difficulty
Beginner
Popular activities
Surf · Swim · Surf fishing
Today's forecast

Why it reads 21 ft

Updated 7:01 AM PT today · October 27, 2026
Clean water
Neutral
0.46 mg/m³
Moderate impact
Moderate swell
Neutral
2.4 ft
Minor swell
Short-period chop
Hurts vis
4.0 s
Moderate chop
Light wind
Helps vis
5 kt
Minor wind
Live water reading
Helps vis
live reading today
Minor impact
Live reading cap
Hurts vis
live reading today
Minor impact

High confidence

Ocean Oracle

7-Day Forecast

Days 2 to 7 are Pro

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.

Today · Tue
Oct 27
21ft
Perfect
Open Water 31 ft
Swell 2 ft at 4 s, wind 1 kt at 10 AM. No rain forecast.
Wed
Oct 28
14
Good
Open Water 21 ft
Thu
Oct 29
9
Fair
Open Water 14 ft
Fri
Oct 30
16
Excellent
Open Water 24 ft
Sat
Oct 31
19
Excellent
Open Water 27 ft
Sun
Nov 1
11
Good
Open Water 17 ft
Mon
Nov 2
13
Good
Open Water 20 ft
Unlock days 2 to 7
7-day forecasts come with Ocean Oracle Pro · $5/mo
Get Ocean Oracle →
Getting there

Map and parking

32.9591° N · 117.2691° W
Map of Del Mar City Beach showing Coast Boulevard and the San Dieguito River mouth
Address
1700 Coast Blvd
Del Mar, CA 92014
Parking
Metered street + lots

Coast Boulevard metered parking near 15th Street, plus pay lots at 17th Street and at L'Auberge Del Mar on Camino Del Mar. Spaces fill before 11 AM on summer weekends.

See the offshore water on Pelagiscape →Clarity, temperature breaks and kelp off this beach.
Field notes

About Del Mar City Beach

Bottom
Sand, no reef or kelp
Stretch
15th St north to the San Dieguito River mouth
Race season
July to September
Free parking
Coast Blvd from 17th to 22nd
Protection
No MPA, standard state rules

Del Mar City Beach is the main public sand beach of the city of Del Mar in northern San Diego County, running from roughly 15th Street north to the San Dieguito River mouth at Del Mar Dog Beach. It sits below the Coast Boulevard bluff, with stairways at most cross streets giving block-by-block access down to the sand. The L'Auberge Del Mar resort fronts the bluff at 15th Street, and Powerhouse Park sits alongside it at the south end of the beach. From July through September, the Del Mar Race Track's summer season fills both town and beach with race-day visitors.

From the Nautilids who hunt it

Spot strategies

Ocean Oracle Pro
Unlock spot strategies
How other Nautilids actually hunt Del Mar City Beach: the biome they worked, the gear, the tide and time of day, and what they were after.
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Ocean Oracle sees the future. Get 7-day visibility forecasts for every beach, alerts when a prime day is coming, and a dive log that remembers every dive.

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Pelagiscape Offshore Map

One full-screen map of the water off all of California: satellite water clarity and temperature, temperature breaks, seafloor shading, depth lines, surface kelp, Marine Protected Areas, currents, wind, and swell. Save your spots as pins and get an email when a temperature break comes near them.

7-Day Forecasts

Visibility predictions for the entire week ahead at any beach. Plan dives, schedule charters, and book trips without guessing.

Prime-Day Alerts

When a beach on your watchlist is running good water, or the week ahead shows a good day coming, Ocean Oracle emails you. A prime window never slips past.

Dive Log

Every entry freezes that day's report: visibility, tide, swell, wind. Log catches, stamp Personal Bests, level up your guns, and light up your species life list.

Front-Page Oracle

The Coastal Bulletin greets members with the clearest water on the coast today and their own watchlist, before a single click.

Watchlists

Track your favorite beaches in one place. Forecasts and alerts for everywhere you dive.

Spot Strategies

A members-only board on every beach where taking fish is legal: how other members hunt the spot, with the gear, tide, season, and target species. Post your own and earn XP.

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