Surf Forecasts:
Bolsa Chica surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period, SSW swell with 751 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period with SW swell.
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 (Aug 25) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 13s. 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 1.1m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bolsa Chica over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let’s break it down. We’re looking at a pretty flat and sloppy stretch for the next couple of weeks. Not much to get excited about, but there’s one or two sessions worth a look if you’re itching.
Overall, the 16-day window is filled with small, weak swell and a lot of onshore or side-shore breeze. The water is running unseasonably warm, which is a bit of a head-scratcher.
Starting Monday afternoon the 24th at Bolsa Chica (Orange County, USA), we’ve got tiny surf at 2 ft from the SW with a long 17-second period. Energy is moderate (267), and a 12 mph cross-shore wind is killing it – choppy and poor. Not worth getting wet.
Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th see a small bump. Wednesday morning shows 4 ft of S swell at 13 seconds, energy climbing to a moderate 706. But the wind is a light cross-shore, leaving it rippled and only marginal. The afternoons turn ugly.
Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th see the swell drop below 3 ft, with steady onshore wind. Friday morning has a hint of light WNW breeze at 3 mph, but the swell is only 2 ft. Not happening.
From Friday afternoon right through the end of August and into early September, it’s a long, poor stretch. Most sessions show poor surf with onshore wind. Tuesday morning the 1st of September has 4 ft of S swell – but only marginal quality, no real clean window. Energy is moderate (423).
Thursday the 3rd of September morning has 2 ft of swell but with a very long 20-second period from the SSW. That’s groundswell energy (398) that would normally be sweet at a point or rivermouth, but at Bolsa Chica’s beach break, it might just wall up and close. The wind is light and onshore – unknown – so it’s a gamble.
The only session that could deliver is Saturday morning the 5th of September. Swell hits 4 ft from the SSW, 16-second period, with very light onshore wind at 6 mph. Energy is strong (660). It’s not perfect, but it’s the most surfable window for beginners. The crowd factor is sometimes an issue there. If you can only pick one, this is it.
After that, it fades back to tiny, messy conditions. For the next two weeks, that first Saturday in September is your best bet. The water temp is running a few degrees above normal, which is pretty unusual for September.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Mon afternoon, min 23°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Fri afternoon, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 142 | 224 | 216 | 170 | 379 | 529 | 496 | 361 | 336 | 242 | 174 | 249 | 212 | 742 | 453 | 635 | 512 | 417 | 334 | 261 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:39PM2.12m | 9:22AM1.62m | 8:15PM2.19m | 9:41AM1.69m | 8:49PM2.21m | 10:01AM1.76m | 9:23PM2.18m | 10:23AM1.84m | 9:58PM2.10m | 10:45AM1.91m | 10:36PM1.97m | 11:10AM1.98m | 11:16PM1.80m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:51AM0.27m | 2:10PM1.06m | 3:17AM0.24m | 2:45PM0.96m | 3:42AM0.25m | 3:20PM0.86m | 4:06AM0.30m | 3:57PM0.78m | 4:29AM0.38m | 4:36PM0.71m | 4:52AM0.50m | 5:20PM0.66m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
Feels °C | 27 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | W 8 | W 8 | SSW 15 | W 7 |
| kJ | 142 | 224 | 216 | 170 | 379 | 529 | 496 | 361 | 336 | 242 | 159 | 80 | 53 | 742 | 453 | 635 | 163 | 110 | 334 | 82 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | S 13 | S 13 | SW 16 | S 11 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | W 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | W 7 | W 7 | W 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | W 7 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 50 | 126 | 89 | 127 | 89 | 159 | 121 | 104 | 104 | 71 | 174 | 249 | 212 | 33 | 80 | 15 | 512 | 417 | 82 | 261 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | W 5 | W 6 | SSE 12 | SW 16 | W 6 | W 6 | W 13 | W 6 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 11 | SW 14 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 14 | S 13 |
| kJ | 66 | 7 | 10 | 48 | 159 | 18 | 10 | 55 | 11 | 103 | 93 | 56 | 89 | 34 | 21 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 33 | 87 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 7 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 182 | 0 | 33 | 138 | 32 | 33 | 96 | 26 | 169 | 150 | 32 | 20 | 106 | 37 | 33 | 82 | 33 | 33 | 73 | 33 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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.
Nearest