Late afternoon session at Sunset Cliffs on Saturday, May 9th, 2026. By 5PM the S/SW winds had filled in and the tide was pushing back up toward the 1809 high at 3.65 feet — Sunset Cliffs tends to go soft on a rising tide, but the reef was still firing.
Three swells in the water: a NW windswell at 310° with 9–10 second intervals, a steeper NW ground swell at 305–310° running 15–16 seconds, and a SW swell from 200–205° also at 15–16 seconds. Nothing massive, but the combo kept some fun sets rolling through. Most waves in the 2–3 foot range with the occasional 3–5 foot set on the longer period energy. Caught it during that late afternoon golden hour window before the tide swallowed the reef.
📍 Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, San Diego, CA
📅 May 9, 2026 | ~5:00 PM
🌊 2–5 ft | NW/SW combo | Rising tide
Gear Used:
Camera: Canon R6 — https://amzn.to/4eHgKcs
Lens: Canon RF 100-500mm – https://amzn.to/4u8WWDI
ND Filter: Freewell Variable ND 2-5 Stop — https://amzn.to/42tr2FQ
Mic: Rode VideoMicPro Compact — https://amzn.to/4ubZtgu
Tripod Head: Manfrotto Video Head – https://amzn.to/4318PiT
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