Surf spot

15th St.

Forecast conditions and map view for 15th St. in USA, California, San Diego County. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: USA, California, San Diego County
Coordinates: 32.9588, -117.2696

Metric
Metric	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00
Wave height (m)	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.8	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.9	1	1	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5
Wave direction	SW	SSW	SSW	SW	SSW	WSW	WSW	WSW	W	W	W	WNW	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	WNW	WNW	W	WSW	W	W	SW	WNW	W	W	W	SW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW	SSW
Wave period (s)	11.9	11.4	11.4	11.3	11.7	8.3	7.5	7.4	4.4	4.7	4.9	5.3	5.2	5.2	5	5	5.5	5.7	5.8	5.9	6.2	5.7	5.4	4.8	5.5	6.3	9.9	6.7	6.9	6.8	6.8	9.3	13.2	12.9	13.3	13.4	13.2	12.8	12.8	12.4	11.9	13.5	13.3	13.2	13.1	12.8	12.8	12.2	12.1	11.9	11.8	11.7	11.6	11.3	11.2	11.1
Wave energy (kJ)	155	121	127	134	98	44	38	42	24	29	36	35	39	37	32	35	48	61	65	42	33	27	21	16	17	18	38	26	37	37	35	54	94	104	104	113	116	111	125	118	117	99	95	94	93	83	75	80	79	71	65	63	61	58	57	56
Wind speed (km/h)	9.7	7.2	7.4	13.3	16.2	12.6	9.5	6.5	5.5	5.6	8.3	13.2	17.1	13.7	8.2	6.6	7.8	7.8	8	14.2	16.8	14.4	9.4	8.7	6.9	6.5	5.3	11.2	16.8	13.2	8.3	5.4	4.7	1.8	3.1	10.8	15.2	11.9	8.6	6	4.1	5.6	4.5	11.3	15.2	13.1	9.1	6.5	6	3.9	5.6	11.9	14.1	12.8	7.6	6.2
Wind direction	SCross	SSWCross-on	SSWCross	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	WSWOnshore	WOnshore	WOnshore	WSWOnshore	SWCross-on	SCross	SSWCross-on	SWCross-on	WSWOnshore	WSWOnshore	SWCross-on	SSWCross-on	SSWCross	SCross	SSWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SSWCross-on	SCross	SSWCross-on	SWCross-on	WSWCross-on	WSWOnshore	WOnshore	WSWOnshore	WGlassy	WGlassy	WSWGlassy	WSWOnshore	WOnshore	WOnshore	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	NWGlassy	NNWCross-on	NNWGlassy	WOnshore	WOnshore	WNWOnshore	NWCross-on	NWCross-on	NNWCross-on	NWGlassy	NWCross-on	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	WNWCross-on	NWCross-on

15th St. is a local surf break in Imperial Beach, San Diego County, California. It’s part of the stretch of beachbreaks near the southern end of San Diego County and is known for being a fairly shifty sandbar setup rather than a consistent point or reef break.

What it’s like

Type: Beachbreak
Wave character: Usually fast, often hollow when sandbars line up
Best for: Intermediate to advanced surfers on better swells
Crowd: Can be local and relatively crowded when conditions are good
Bottom: Sand
Consistency: Moderate to low, depending on sand movement and tides

Best conditions

Swell direction: Generally works best with south to southwest swells
Wind: Light offshore winds or calm conditions are best
Tide: Often better at mid to lower tides, though this can vary with sandbar shape
Wave size: Small to medium swells can produce fun peaks; larger swells can make it punchy and more powerful

Things to know

Because it’s a sand-dependent beachbreak, the shape can change a lot over time.
It can produce short, peaky rights and lefts depending on the sandbar.
Conditions can be highly variable, so checking recent reports or local knowledge is useful.
It’s near a busy border-adjacent coastal area, so be aware of parking, access, and local rules.

Overall

15th St. is a fun but inconsistent South Bay beachbreak that can offer good, punchy waves when the sandbars and swell align. It’s best approached as a check-it-before-you-paddle-out kind of spot.