Don't Die Fishing

DON'T DIE FISHING / MARINA · CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

Santa Cruz Harbor conditions

Monday, September 28 · updated Mon, 6:35 AM PDT

PUBLIC REFERENCE

MODERATE POWERBOAT

Santa Cruz Harbor conditions right now: GO (planning score 6/100) — wind 6.1 kts, waves 0 ft.

VERDICT

PUBLIC REFERENCE · MODERATE POWERBOAT

STATUS

6

GO

PLANNING SCORE 6/100

LOWER IS BETTER

FRESHNESS

AGING

23 MIN AGO

VESSEL

Moderate powerboat

MODERATE · POWERBOAT

WHY

Wind / Gusts: 6.1 kts / N/A

Wind / Gusts4.7

Water Temp0.9

Waves / Swell0.0

SOURCE

CONFIDENCE

MED

MED · 7/11 SIGNALS AVAILABLE

Some scored signals are unavailable; this label describes data completeness, not probability.

NEXT ACTION

Data is aging. Recheck official forecasts and warnings before departure.

METHOD & SOURCES ↗

This verdict uses a moderate powerboat reference profile. Create a free account to score it for your boat and thresholds.

TODAY'S SIGNALS

RAW VALUES

WIND

6.1 kt

GUSTS

—

WAVES

0 ft

VISIBILITY

—

AIR

74°F

WATER

62°F

NEXT 24 HOURS

NWS HOURLY

06:00

Slight Chance Drizzle.

1.7 kt

53° · 0%

2

07:00

Slight Chance Drizzle.

1.7 kt

52° · 0%

2

08:00

Mostly Sunny.

1.7 kt

54° · 0%

2

09:00

Mostly Sunny.

0.9 kt

56° · 0%

1

10:00

Mostly Sunny.

0.9 kt

59° · 0%

1

11:00

Mostly Sunny.

1.7 kt

61° · 0%

2

12:00

Sunny.

4.3 kt

63° · 0%

5

13:00

Sunny.

5.2 kt

68° · 0%

6

14:00

Sunny.

6.1 kt

70° · 0%

7

15:00

Sunny.

5.2 kt

72° · 0%

6

16:00

Sunny.

4.3 kt

74° · 0%

5

17:00

Sunny.

4.3 kt

73° · 0%

5

18:00

Clear.

4.3 kt

71° · 0%

5

19:00

Clear.

1.7 kt

67° · 0%

2

20:00

Mostly Clear.

1.7 kt

62° · 0%

2

21:00

Mostly Clear.

1.7 kt

60° · 0%

2

22:00

Mostly Clear.

1.7 kt

59° · 0%

2

23:00

Partly Cloudy.

0.9 kt

58° · 0%

1

00:00

Partly Cloudy.

0.9 kt

58° · 0%

1

01:00

Partly Cloudy.

0.9 kt

57° · 0%

1

02:00

Partly Cloudy.

0.9 kt

55° · 0%

1

03:00

Partly Cloudy.

0.9 kt

55° · 0%

1

04:00

Partly Cloudy.

0.9 kt

54° · 0%

1

05:00

Mostly Cloudy.

0.9 kt

53° · 0%

1

NEXT 7 DAYS

NWS

TodaySlight Chance Drizzle then Sunny6.1 kt74°6

TuesdaySunny4.3 kt81°4

WednesdaySunny4.3 kt82°4

ThursdaySunny2.6 kt80°3

FridayMostly Sunny2.6 kt81°3

SaturdaySunny2.6 kt82°3

SundaySunny2.6 kt82°3

TIDE & SOLUNAR

high at 2026-09-28 18:43 · 5.8 ft

SUNRISE 07:01 · SUNSET 18:56

MAJOR FEEDING

01:12 – 03:12 · 13:38 – 15:38

REGULATION REFERENCES IN CALIFORNIA

Barred Sand BassBAG 5 fish in any combination of kelp bass, barred sand bass, and spotted sand bass; maximum 4 may be barred sand bass. · MIN 14 inLISTED OPEN

CabezonBAG 10 fish within the Rockfish, Cabezon, and Greenling complex (RCG complex) limit of 10 fish per person. · MIN —LISTED OPEN

California HalibutBAG North of Point Sur, Monterey County: 2 fish; south of Point Sur: 5 fish. · MIN 22 inLISTED OPEN

ALL California REFERENCES →

Know before you go

Save your launch sites and get one planning verdict per site, scored for your boat, before the trailer leaves the driveway.

COMMUNITY OBSERVATIONS

LAST 24 HOURS

Boaters on the water share what the wind, waves, and visibility are actually doing — within the last 24 hours. These community observations are unverified and do not change the DDF planning verdict. Sign in to read community observations and add your own.

Planning guidance only — conditions change and regulation statuses are listings, not permission to fish or retain a catch. Verify official forecasts, warnings, and rules before you launch.