Surf & Sea Conditions

Live wave, wind and swell for Long Beach, Cox Bay and Chesterman — updated through the day, read the way a surfer checks it.

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Town Tools builds free, public tools for Tofino and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.

Tofino surfs year-round, and winter is the most consistent. Here's the live wave, wind and swell read for the main beaches, the way a surfer checks it — clean and fun, or big and messy. New to it? Long Beach is the gentle answer; book a lesson and respect the cold water.

Cold water and rip currents

Water runs about 8–15°C all year, so hypothermia and tiring out are the real risks, alongside rip currents on the open beaches. Wear a full wetsuit, surf near others, and if you're learning, go with one of the local surf schools.

Long Beach

The standard beginner answer — long, sandy, works on most tides except dead low. Inside Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (park pass needed to stop).

Fun-sized and clean

Surf: 1.1 m · 4 ft
Swell: 6s from the W
Wind: 5 mph from the SW — onshore
Sea temperature: 13.5°C

Next few days

Day	Surf	Wind	Looks like
Fri 10 Jul	1.3 m · 4 ft	8 mph WNW (cross-shore)	Fun-sized and clean
Sat 11 Jul	1.4 m · 4 ft	6 mph SSE (cross-shore)	Fun-sized and clean
Sun 12 Jul	1.2 m · 4 ft	7 mph WSW (onshore)	Fun-sized and clean
Mon 13 Jul	1.0 m · 3 ft	7 mph W (onshore)	Fun-sized and clean
Tue 14 Jul	1.1 m · 3 ft	9 mph WNW (cross-shore)	Fun-sized and clean

Cox Bay

Catches the most swell of the town beaches — best mid-to-high tide with an offshore easterly. For confident surfers when it's big.

Fun-sized and clean

Surf: 1.2 m · 4 ft
Swell: 6s from the W
Wind: 5 mph from the SSW — onshore
Sea temperature: 13.2°C

Next few days

Day	Surf	Wind	Looks like
Fri 10 Jul	1.3 m · 4 ft	10 mph NW (cross-shore)	Fun-sized and clean
Sat 11 Jul	1.4 m · 5 ft	10 mph SSE (cross-shore)	Fun-sized and clean
Sun 12 Jul	1.2 m · 4 ft	9 mph WSW (onshore)	Fun-sized and a bit bumpy
Mon 13 Jul	1.0 m · 3 ft	9 mph W (cross-shore)	Fun-sized and clean
Tue 14 Jul

South Chesterman

Town-adjacent and mellower. Frank Island at its south end is only reachable around low tide — mind the return.

Fun-sized and clean

Surf: 1.1 m · 4 ft
Swell: 5s from the W
Wind: 4 mph from the SW — onshore
Sea temperature: 13.4°C

Next few days

Day	Surf	Wind	Looks like
Fri 10 Jul	1.2 m · 4 ft	9 mph WNW (cross-shore)	Fun-sized and clean
Sat 11 Jul	1.2 m · 4 ft	6 mph S (cross-shore)	Fun-sized and clean
Sun 12 Jul	1.1 m · 4 ft	5 mph SW (onshore)	Fun-sized and clean
Mon 13 Jul	0.9 m · 3 ft	4 mph SW (onshore)	Fun-sized and clean
Tue 14 Jul	1.0 m · 3 ft

A forecast is not a lifeguard

These are open-water model forecasts, not spot-by-spot readings — banks, tide and swell direction change how each beach actually breaks. Beaches on this coast have real rip currents: swim and surf between the flags when lifeguards are on, and if in doubt, don’t go out. In an emergency on or near the water, call 911 and ask for the Coast Guard, or hail them on marine VHF channel 16.

Forecast updated 9 July at 12:54. Weather and marine data by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).