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Home/Locations/California/Ventura County/Emma Wood State Beach North Beach

Emma Wood State Beach North Beach

Ventura · Ventura County · California

Diver reports today · zones from today’s forecast

Visibility Breakdown

Updated through the day · times PT

Visibility by position

Break Zone
2ft
today’s forecast
Post Break
headline zone
4ft
today’s forecast
Open Water
5ft
today’s forecast

Solid = diver report · outlined = today's forecast

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.

This chart shows measured diver reports only.

No measured readings today

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

Report visibility
Entry type
Shore
Parking
State campground
Spearfishing
Legal
Stingray risk
Medium
Water quality
A+ · graded Oct 23
Difficulty
Beginner
Popular activities
Surf · Fish
Today's forecast

Why it reads 2–6 ft

Updated 6:10 AM PT today · October 27, 2026
Active plankton bloom
Hurts vis
2.16 mg/m³
Major impact
Moderate swell
Neutral
2.1 ft
Minor swell
Short-period chop
Hurts vis
5.0 s
Minor chop
Light wind
Helps vis
5 kt
Minor wind
Live reading floor
Helps vis
live reading sets a minimum
Minor impact

Today's forecast runs

6 AM
4ft
Morning run
10 AM
—
Pending
1 PM
—
Pending

Dawn is the clearest window — onshore wind picks up by late morning and surface chop stirs the bottom through the afternoon.

Medium 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
2–6ft
Poor
Open Water 5 ft
Swell 2 ft at 5 s, wind 3 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

34.2850° N · 119.3256° W
Map of Emma Wood State Beach showing Old PCH, the RV campground, and the Ventura River mouth
Address
Old Pacific Coast Hwy
Ventura, CA 93001
Parking
State campground

California State Parks operates an 88-site primitive shoulder campground on Old Pacific Coast Highway for self-contained RVs only; tents are not permitted. Day-use parking is available at the Ventura River Group Camp at the south end of the unit, near the river mouth. No water, electricity, dump station, or showers on the parkway portion. Restrooms at the group camp.

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

About Emma Wood State Beach North Beach

Emma Wood State Beach North Beach is the cobble shoreline section of the state beach unit on Old Pacific Coast Highway, 2 miles west of downtown Ventura at the mouth of the Ventura River. Two camping areas operate inside the unit. The North Beach segment is an 88-site primitive linear shoulder campground for fully self-contained RVs only, with tents not permitted. At the south end, the Ventura River Group Camp sits at the river mouth itself and includes 5 group sites, restrooms, day-use parking, and direct beach access. Tide pools develop along the cobble shoreline at low tide. The Ventura River estuary at the south end supports riparian wildlife along the river mouth, and the mouth itself is a known surf-fishing spot for perch.

From the Nautilids who hunt it

Spot strategies

Ocean Oracle Pro
Unlock spot strategies
How other Nautilids actually hunt Emma Wood State Beach North Beach: the biome they worked, the gear, the tide and time of day, and what they were after.
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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.

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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.

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

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