Should I boat at Dana Point, CA today?

Conditions right now

CAUTION as of Oct 23, 11:22 AM ET: wind SE 5 kt, gusts 6 kt; waves about 3 ft every 6 s. Boatable with care: expect chop or building wind. Small boats should think twice.

From the NWS gridded forecast for this launch. The live page adds buoy observations, marine warnings and an hour-by-hour timeline.

About Dana Point, CA

• Water: Southern California Coast
• Location: 33.460, -117.700
• NWS marine forecast zone: PZZ655
• Live observations: no reporting buoy close by, so wind and waves come from the NWS forecast

How the wind direction plays here

• Onshore (waves pile up at the launch, often rougher than the open-water number): S, SSW, SW, WSW, W
• Offshore (deceptively calm at the ramp, rougher farther out, and it pushes you away from shore): N, NNE, NE, ENE, E
• Cross-shore (moderate; watch which way it trends): ESE, SE, SSE, WNW, NW, NNW

Why direction matters: wind direction and fetch.

Nearby launches on Southern California Coast

• Newport Beach, CA (14 mi): CAUTION, wind S 4 kt, gusts 5 kt; waves about 3 ft every 6 s
• Oceanside Harbor, CA (24 mi): GO, wind E 7 kt, gusts 8 kt; waves about 3 ft every 11 s
• Long Beach, CA (35 mi): GO, wind NW 4 kt, gusts 5 kt; waves about 2 ft every 6 s
• Mission Bay, CA (55 mi): GO, wind SE 5 kt; waves about 2 ft every 11 s
• Marina del Rey, CA (56 mi): GO, wind N 4 kt, gusts 5 kt; waves about 2 ft every 6 s
• San Diego / Point Loma, CA (60 mi): GO, wind SE 4 kt; waves about 2 ft every 11 s