Old Man's / San Onofre
San Clemente · near San Clemente · San Diego
Surfing
At a glance
- Skill level
- beginner
- Best season
- Year-round · Summer most consistent for learning
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Surfing detail
- Break types
- reef
- Swell
- South and northwest · 2–5ft · Anything bigger gets too powerful for learners
- Tide
- Mid tide best · Works across most tidal stages
- Wind
- Morning glass best · Afternoon onshore but waves stay manageable
- Crowd
- Relaxed and welcoming. The crowd here genuinely skews older and calmer than anywhere else in SoCal. Surf schools operate daily. Lifeguards on duty.
- Board
- Longboard (8ft+) or foam soft-top · Perfect for first-timers
- Wetsuit
- Spring suit or shorty summer · 3/2mm fullsuit rest of year
- Intl tip
- San Onofre State Beach requires a day pass. The campground here is one of the most sought-after in SoCal surf culture — booking a night means waking up with the break right out your tent.
The guide
SoCal's most genuinely friendly surf experience. Old Man's nickname doesn't flatter, but it's earned — the crowd here is mellow…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Old Man's / San Onofre — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.3669, -117.5569