Surf Forecasts:
Cardiff Reef surf forecast from 11 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 11 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 11 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 15s period, SSW swell with 439 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 11 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 15s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cardiff Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Cardiff Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 11) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cardiff Reef in the next 16 days are 1.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 11) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 16s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 11th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 11th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sat 11th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cardiff Reef over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, let’s talk it through. This is a 16-day look from today, and for Cardiff Reef, it’s a grim story with very few highlights.
The truth is, this whole stretch is plagued by poor conditions. The combined wave energy shows numbers in the low to moderate range – you’ll see readings around 450 on Friday the 10th and even touching the mid-500s on a couple of days. But the energy means nothing when the wind is against you and the shape is shot.
The first surfable hint comes on Friday the 10th, with a 1.0m swell from the SSW, period about 15 seconds. That long period is nice for a reef, but the wind is from the SW at 15 km/h, cross-onshore, making it bumpy. Combined energy is 450 (moderate). Water temp is 22°, a full 3° warmer than usual – feels like a hot tub out there.
Saturday the 11th morning is more of the same. Saturday afternoon (11th) gives a tiny window: wind swings to the W at 5 km/h, onshore. The swell is still 1.0m from the SSW. It’s marginal at best. By Sunday the 12th, it’s 0.9m with cross-onshore breeze. This is the closest we get to a “best” option, but it’s not good.
From there, it’s a desert. The 13th through the 17th are mostly 0.5m to 0.9m, cross or onshore wind, with combined energy sometimes dropping below 240. There’s a slight bump around the 18th and 19th – 0.8m to 0.9m from the SW, energy in the 450-560 range – but the wind is from the W at 15 km/h, onshore, and it’s a “marginal” call. Not worth paddling out for.
The optimum swell for Cardiff Reef is WNW. Everything here is SSW or SW. That’s not going to wrap in with any power. The break itself is very consistent, but consistency in poor surf just means you can count on getting skunked.
Crowds are sometimes an issue here, but this forecast will keep the lineup empty. The whole 16 days is a gap of bad surf. For an area that’s usually pretty consistent, a run this quiet is normal in a flat spell, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
The only thing to watch is a pulse on the 21st (1.0m, SSW, 16 seconds, energy 523) and the 24th (0.6m, SSW, 13 seconds, energy 118). Both are blown out.
Hang tight, lads. It’s a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 17°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed morning, min 20°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fri 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 405 | 405 | 417 | 439 | 384 | 316 | 210 | 326 | 312 | 120 | 213 | 154 | 154 | 249 | 150 | 167 | 161 | 122 | 121 | 177 | 181 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:11PM2.28m | 8:27AM1.44m | 7:06PM2.42m | 9:17AM1.52m | 7:59PM2.53m | 10:01AM1.59m | 8:50PM2.58m | 10:43AM1.65m | 9:39PM2.56m | 11:25AM1.71m | 10:28PM2.45m | 12:06PM1.76m | 11:16PM2.26m | 12:47PM1.80m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:49AM0.19m | 12:32PM1.12m | 2:39AM0.01m | 1:33PM1.09m | 3:26AM-0.11m | 2:30PM1.03m | 4:10AM-0.15m | 3:23PM0.98m | 4:54AM-0.11m | 4:17PM0.95m | 5:35AM-0.00m | 5:12PM0.93m | 6:14AM0.16m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 |
 | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — | 7:58 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 23 |
Feels °C | 19 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 |
| kJ | 405 | 405 | 417 | 439 | 384 | 316 | 210 | 326 | 312 | 179 | 213 | 154 | 93 | 133 | 61 | 62 | 81 | 112 | 90 | 57 | 49 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 9 | WNW 8 | S 15 | S 15 | S 16 | W 9 | SSW 13 | SW 19 | S 12 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 45 | 44 | 27 | 24 | 19 | 68 | 159 | 46 | 6 | 120 | 133 | 45 | 154 | 249 | 67 | 167 | 161 | 122 | 121 | 106 | 181 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 21 | — | S 19 | S 20 | S 18 | W 6 | W 6 | W 9 | SW 21 | SW 19 | S 12 | SW 19 | S 12 | W 5 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 9 | — | 30 | 7 | 55 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 96 | 45 | 57 | 74 | 7 | 150 | 83 | 73 | 48 | 46 | 177 | 74 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 9 | W 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 115 | 0 | 91 | 8 | 0 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 43 | 43 | 21 | 44 | 21 | 21 | 91 | 91 | 0 | 131 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego 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 Cardiff Reef 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 Cardiff Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cardiff Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cardiff Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cardiff Reef 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 (Cardiff Reef) 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 Cardiff Reef 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.
Cardiff Reef is 3 km (2 miles) from the city of Encinitas. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Encinitas. Encinitas has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest