Check the Beach

The Dark Side

San Diego County, California, United States

The Dark Side 5 photos

  • Facing South - Agua Hedionda Lagoon 2

    Facing South - Agua Hedionda Lagoon 2. Z3lvs, CC0. Source

  • Agua Hedionda Lagoon 2

    Agua Hedionda Lagoon 2. Bovlb, Public domain. Source

  • Agua Hediona Lagoon 4

    Agua Hediona Lagoon 4. Bovlb, Public domain. Source

  • Agua Hedionda Lagoon 3

    Agua Hedionda Lagoon 3. Bovlb, Public domain. Source

  • Running Styles

    Running Styles. Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source

Tomorrow at a glance

Best: 3 pm to sunset, sunset 6:06 pm
8 am
5.4
14 km/h9 mph wind, Fair
9 am
7.3
9 km/h6 mph wind, Great
10 am
5.7
7 km/h4 mph wind, Good
11 am
5.6
1 km/h1 mph wind, Good
12 pm
5.8
6 km/h3 mph wind, Good
1 pm
5.9
10 km/h6 mph wind, Good
2 pm
6.4
14 km/h9 mph wind, Good
3 pm
7.6
15 km/h9 mph wind, Great
4 pm
8.5
10 km/h6 mph wind, Excellent
5 pm
8.3
13 km/h8 mph wind, Great
6 pm
7.9
14 km/h9 mph wind, Great

This page puts what matters first for today's conditions.

Best time to swim

Best: 3 pm to sunset. Beach score for daylight hours, with wind in km/hmph underneath.

Air
21°C69°F
Water
22°C72°F
Wind
1912 km/hmph W
Gusts
2012 km/hmph
Waves
1.1 m4 ft
UV
0 low
Tide
falling
Rain
1%
Sunset
6:06 pm
Today
6.6Good7 am117
7.4Great8 am149
8.1Great9 am117
7.3Great10 am106
5.2Fair11 am1510
7.2Great12 pm117
7.6Great1 pm1710
6.5Good2 pm1811
6.9Good3 pm1711
7.8Great4 pm1710
7.5Great5 pm1912
7.9Great6 pm1912
Fri
5.4Fair8 am149
7.3Great9 am96
5.7Good10 am74
5.6Good11 am11
5.8Good12 pm63
5.9Good1 pm106
6.4Good2 pm149
7.6Great3 pm159
8.5Excellent4 pm106
8.3Great5 pm138
7.9Great6 pm149
Green, 7 and upYellow, 4 to 7Red, under 4Best stretch

Tide, next 24 hours

Tide falling now. Low at 1 am, -0.2 m. High at 7 am, 1.2 m. Low at 2 pm, -0.2 m. High at 8 pm, 1.0 mLow 1 am, -0.2 m<1 ftHigh 7 am, 1.2 m4 ftLow 2 pm, -0.2 m<1 ftHigh 8 pm, 1.0 m3 ftNow3 am9 am3 pm9 pm
  • Low 1 am, -0.2 m<1 ft
  • High 7 am, 1.2 m4 ft
  • Low 2 pm, -0.2 m<1 ft
  • High 8 pm, 1.0 m3 ft

Tide is modeled, not measured. Rip current and water quality data are not available for this beach yet.

Beach info

Lifeguards, parking and facilities before you head down.

Facilities

  • LifeguardNone listed
  • Parking1 within 500 m0.3 miNearest 500 m0.3 mi. Fee not listed
  • SurfaceSand

Getting there

Nearest bus stop
660 m0.4 mi
Nearest town
680 m0.4 miCarlsbad (city)
Nearest airport
4 km2 miMcClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD)

Facilities from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Check posted signs; details change. Data sources

Nearby beaches

Where to stay near the beach

Compare hotels and apartments near The Dark Side.

Partner links

Beachfront rooms go first on warm weekends.

Loads the map from Stay22, our stays partner.

Hotel results come from our stays partner. We may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the beach score.

The days ahead

Best score each day, with the stretch to aim for.

  • Fri8.5 ExcellentBest 3 pm to 7 pmWind up to 15 km/h9 mph, rain 12%
  • Sat8.8 ExcellentBest 8 am to 7 pmWind up to 16 km/h10 mph, rain 1%
  • Sun9.4 ExcellentBest 8 am to 1 pmWind up to 16 km/h10 mph, rain 0%
  • Mon9.2 ExcellentBest 8 am to 4 pmWind up to 19 km/h12 mph, rain 0%
  • Tue6.8 GoodBest 8 am to 7 pmWind up to 15 km/h9 mph, rain 0%
  • Wed6.1 GoodBest 8 am to 7 pmWind up to 14 km/h9 mph, rain 0%