NOAA and CDIP maintain buoy data for the California Coast. There was gobs of gory detail for all the west coast Buoys, unfortunately, all the Monterey Bay Buoys have been decommissioned. The 46042 buoy (just outside the Monterey Bay) shows current Santa Cruz swell data and prediction swell in the Monterey Bay. The tide tables show the tides for Santa Cruz, low tide is usually best at Cowell. Here's the Coastal Marine weather forecast and a RADAR map of Central California. Here's a webcam of Cowells Beach (a GREAT place to learn to surf). Surfline has on-line surf reports provided by fellow surfers, and a SurfCams including world famous Steamer Lane, a more advanced surfing area near Cowells Beach at the Lighthouse. Is the water clean? Check with the Santa Cruz Surfrider's quality reports and the County Government quality reports. O'Neill has a Surf Phone that's updated daily. You can call them at (831) 475-BARL (or (831) 475-2275).