Bolivar Peninsula (Crystal Beach)
Bolivar · beach faces SSE · pin approximate
Drive-on beach with many access roads off SH 87. Beach parking permit required.
Surf fishing now
- Waves 2.3 ft at 3 s
- Wind N 17 kt (offshore)
- Surf conditions alone: 83/100
- Water about 82 °F (satellite)
- Water color: Off-color · Stained or sandy near the beach
- Seaweed: unknown (clouds)
Prime times today
- 5:45 AM–6:45 AMmajor solunar · sunrise
- 6:00 PM–7:15 PMmajor solunar · sunset
Tomorrow: 6:30 AM–7:30 AM, 6:00 PM–8:00 PM
Tide
Sievers Cove, Goat Island · coefficient 74 (high)
↘ Falling · next low 5:04 PM in 3h 33m
- ▲ 3:20 AM 1.7 ft
- ▼ 5:04 PM 0.5 ft
Strong onshore or north winds can push Gulf water levels well above or below these predictions.
via Brownrice ↗
Live look
Tap the player to check the surf, water color, and crowds right now. It's run by Bolivar Peninsula Tourism.
- Crystal Beach Surf Cam surf · live here
- Stingaree Marina, East Bay bay · live here
- East Crystal Beach Beachfront surf · live here
- Bluewater Beach, Crystal Beach surf · live here
- Rollover Pass Pier, Gilchrist surf · live here
- Bolivar Flats & North Jetty surf · live here
Next 3 days, hour by hour
Waves (ft)Wind (kt)TideTop strip: fishing score7-day outlook
| Day | Fishing | Waves | Wind | Weather | Tides | Prime times | Sun | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Good73Solunar: Average | 2.3–2.8 ft3 s | N 23–26 kt | Mostly Sunny77° / 58° · 10% rain | ▲ 3:20 AM 1.7▼ 5:04 PM 0.5coef 74 | 5:45 AM–6:45 AM6:00 PM–7:15 PM | ☀ 7:20 AM☾ 6:46 PM | 🌒 32%↑ 1:00 PM ↓ 10:59 PM |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Excellent82Solunar: Average | 1.9–2.9 ft3 s | N 17–22 kt | Sunny72° / 57° | ▲ 4:11 AM 1.7▼ 6:05 PM 0.5coef 72 | 6:30 AM–7:30 AM6:00 PM–8:00 PM | ☀ 7:21 AM☾ 6:45 PM | 🌓 41%↑ 1:46 PM ↓ 11:55 PM |
| Sun, Oct 18 | Excellent92Solunar: Low | 1.2–1.9 ft4 s | NE 10–13 kt | Sunny74° / 63° | ▲ 4:58 AM 1.7▼ 7:04 PM 0.6coef 69 | 6:30 AM–8:30 AM6:45 PM–7:45 PM | ☀ 7:22 AM☾ 6:44 PM | 🌓 50%↑ 2:26 PM ↓ – |
| Mon, Oct 19 | Excellent88Solunar: Average | 1.6–2.0 ft4 s | E 9–13 kt | Sunny77° / 68° | ▲ 5:35 AM 1.6▼ 8:01 PM 0.6coef 64 | 7:00 AM–9:15 AM | ☀ 7:22 AM☾ 6:43 PM | 🌓 60%↑ 3:02 PM ↓ 12:53 AM |
| Tue, Oct 20 | Excellent85Solunar: Average | 1.6–1.9 ft4 s | E 10–13 kt | Mostly Sunny80° / 69° · 1% rain | ▲ 5:54 AM 1.5▼ 8:54 PM 0.7coef 58 | 7:45 AM–9:30 AM | ☀ 7:23 AM☾ 6:42 PM | 🌔 69%↑ 3:35 PM ↓ 1:50 AM |
| Wed, Oct 21 | Excellent86Solunar: Average | 1.1–1.2 ft4 s | E 8–9 kt | Sunny81° / 70° | ▲ 5:35 AM 1.4▼ 10:17 AM 1.3▲ 1:11 PM 1.3▼ 9:45 PM 0.8coef 49 | 8:00 AM–9:30 AM5:45 PM–7:00 PM | ☀ 7:24 AM☾ 6:41 PM | 🌔 78%↑ 4:05 PM ↓ 2:48 AM |
| Thu, Oct 22 | Excellent86Solunar: Average | 0.7–0.8 ft5 s | E 7–9 kt | Sunny82° / 73° · 1% rain | ▲ 4:50 AM 1.3▼ 10:29 AM 1.1▲ 3:22 PM 1.3▼ 10:34 PM 0.9coef 39 | 6:15 PM–7:45 PM | ☀ 7:24 AM☾ 6:40 PM | 🌔 86%↑ 4:35 PM ↓ 3:45 AM |
Sun & moon today
- Sunrise
- 7:20 AM
- Sunset
- 6:46 PM
- Moonrise
- 1:00 PM
- Moonset
- 10:59 PM
- Moon
- 🌒 Waxing Crescent, 32%
- Major
- 4:35 AM–6:35 AM
- Minor
- 12:30 PM–1:30 PM
- Major
- 5:00 PM–7:00 PM
- Minor
- 10:29 PM–11:29 PM
Water
- Water temp
- 82.6 °F at 42035 (21 mi)82.5 °F nearshore by satellite
- Water color
- Off-color (chlorophyll 5.9 mg/m³)
- Salinity
- 37.1 PSU · NASA SMAP satellite (25 km)
- Current
- 0.3 kt toward S (Open-Meteo ocean model)
- Measured seas
- 3.6 ft @ 4 s at buoy 42035
Seaweed (Sargassum)
Not enough clear satellite views this week (clouds) to tell.
From the satellite floating algae index. Clouds, sun glint, and muddy water can cause false hits, and it can't see weed already on the sand.
Latest satellite imagery
Daily true-color passes (about 250–375 m detail) show clouds, mud lines, and green water reaching the beach. Brown-orange pixels are the seaweed index. Today's pass appears after mid-afternoon.
NWS surf zone forecast
The surf zone forecast for this beach isn't available right now.
NWS 7-day forecast for this spot
- This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. North wind 20 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
- Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low around 58, with temperatures rising to around 61 overnight. North wind 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 72. North wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Northeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 74. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 77.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
- Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 81.
- Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 70.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73.
Cloudy
Cloud cover 100% · Feels like 76°F
Observed 1:00 PM · Galveston Bay Entrance, North Jetty (5 mi) · sky & visibility from Galveston 209B (23 mi)
Wind
27mph
From NNE (25°)
Gusts 30 mph
Measured at Galveston Bay Entrance, North Jetty
Temperature
73°F
High 82° · Low 73° so far today
Humidity
83%
Dew point 70°F
Visibility
10+mi
−0.00 in over 3 hours
reading 3 hours ago
Barometric pressure, last 24 hours
Barometer at Galveston Bay Entrance, North Jetty, 6-minute readings
Fishing by pressure trend
- risingVery good. Bite may slow as pressure levels off.
- stableNormal activity.
- fallingGood at first, then turning poor.
Fishing conditions now
Steady pressure. Expect normal activity.
Cams nearby
- Sunrise Beach, Crystal Beach surf · 1 mi · plays here
- Crystal Beach Surf Cam surf · 1 mi · plays here
- Stingaree Marina, East Bay bay · 1 mi · plays here
- East Crystal Beach Beachfront surf · 2 mi · plays here
- Bluewater Beach, Crystal Beach surf · 2 mi · plays here
- Rollover Pass Pier, Gilchrist surf · 8 mi · plays here
- Bolivar Flats & North Jetty surf · 9 mi · plays here
- Fort Travis bay · 10 mi · plays here
More for Bolivar
Sources: waves from Open-Meteo Marine (NOAA GFS-Wave / ECMWF models); wind, weather and surf zone forecast from the National Weather Service; tides from NOAA CO-OPS; currents and salinity from NOAA NGOFS2 or NASA SMAP; water temperature from NOAA NDBC and the NOAA Geo-Polar SST blend; water color from NOAA VIIRS chlorophyll; seaweed from the USF / NOAA AOML floating algae index; imagery from NASA GIBS. Sun, moon and solunar times are calculated for this beach.