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Bolsa Chica Surf Forecast
/ CAL – Orange County (51 breaks) / California (404 breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Bolsa Chica surfForecast / CAL – Orange County / USA
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 4 am Saturday 16 May 2026 PDTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Bolsa Chica surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Bolsa Chica sea temperature is
16.8° C
(Which is 1.2°C warmer than normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bolsa Chica this week:
The surf forecast for Bolsa Chica over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 19) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bolsa Chica in the next 16 days are 1.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 17) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Sunday (May 17) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 19th May) | 1ft (0.3m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 19th May) | 1ft (0.3m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 17th May) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bolsa Chica over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Thu afternoon, min 16°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | WSW 8 | S 15 | SSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 15 | |
218 | 218 | 234 | 201 | 122 | 246 | 113 | 58 | 68 | 62 | 68 | 66 | 89 | 116 | 109 | 107 | 107 | 148 | 246 | 102 | 186 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | on | cross | cross | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | |
High Tide | 10:08AM1.65m | 9:15PM2.56m | 11:06AM1.61m | 10:00PM2.56m | 12:07PM1.56m | 10:48PM2.49m | 1:14PM1.53m | 11:41PM2.35m | 2:27PM1.54m | 00:42AM2.17m | 3:39PM1.60m | 1:53AM1.96m | 4:39PM1.70m | 3:16AM1.78m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:55PM0.95m | 4:34AM-0.08m | 3:37PM1.03m | 5:26AM-0.08m | 4:24PM1.11m | 6:23AM-0.01m | 5:18PM1.20m | 7:22AM0.09m | 6:28PM1.27m | 8:25AM0.22m | 8:02PM1.30m | 9:26AM0.34m | 9:49PM1.24m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — |
 | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:51 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 12 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | WSW 8 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | S 14 | SW 15 | S 13 | SW 18 | SW 14 | SW 15 |
 kJ | 118 | 172 | 234 | 201 | 122 | 246 | 113 | 58 | 36 | 20 | 20 | 59 | 89 | 116 | 109 | 107 | 107 | 85 | 246 | 102 | 186 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 13 | W 13 | W 13 | WNW 12 | SSW 12 | S 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | W 6 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 15 | S 14 | SW 17 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 |
| kJ | 218 | 218 | 158 | 123 | 121 | 125 | 50 | 29 | 68 | 62 | 59 | 12 | 49 | 49 | 96 | 76 | 100 | 148 | 84 | 52 | 45 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | W 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 15 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 6 | S 16 | S 12 | SW 19 | WSW 5 | SW 14 | W 11 | SW 18 | SW 22 |
| kJ | 8 | 2 | 56 | 102 | 101 | 57 | 52 | 39 | 28 | 43 | 68 | 66 | 6 | 19 | 47 | 96 | 5 | 52 | 2 | 79 | 19 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 3 | SE 3 | — | SSE 3 | SE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | WSW 5 | — | — | SSW 2 | S 3 | WSW 11 |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | 6 | — | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 11 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 33 | 143 | 33 | 33 | 150 | 33 | 33 | 176 | 32 | 138 | 138 | 30 | 138 | 96 | 33 | 33 | 106 | 33 | 33 | 182 | 28 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Bolsa Chica surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Bolsa Chica Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Bolsa Chica provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Bolsa Chica can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Bolsa Chica surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Bolsa Chica) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Bolsa Chica may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Bolsa Chica is 6 km (4 miles) from the city of Seal Beach. If you plan a vacation in Orange County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Seal Beach. Seal Beach has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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