
Surf Forecasts:
Cottons Point surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 13s period, SSW swell with 1,197 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 15s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cottons Point this week:
The surf forecast for Cottons Point over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cottons Point in the next 16 days are 1.8m 13s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cottons Point over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good hard look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: the first few days are a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a gentle but persistent cross-onshore breeze messing up a small, long-period swell from the SW. The water is sitting at 71° which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit, but you *will* need patience. The energy is weak, around 200 (combined energy), and the surf is plain poor. Hold your horses.
Come Thursday the 18th and Friday the 19th, things start to stir. We see the swell bumping up a bit from the SW and S, with the combined energy climbing into the mid-to-high hundreds. The wind eases right off, turning light and onshore or cross-onshore, which is a big improvement. The surf is still a bit marginal, but Saturday morning the 19th sees the best of it with 5ft of S swell, light offshore wind, and solid energy (1308). That’s the pick of the first week, a real standout for the experienced crew. Sunday afternoon gets a bit bigger at 6ft, but that’s pushing into expert territory, and the period drops a bit.
The middle of the week from Monday the 21st to Wednesday the 23rd is a bit of a letdown. The swell drops back to 3ft, the wind picks up from the west, and it gets choppy. The energy is moderate, but the quality isn’t there. A bit of a lull.
Now, the second week shows some promise from the 24th to the 28th. The swell hangs around 3ft to 5ft, mostly from the SSW and S, with periods stretching out to 19 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The combined energy is consistently in the four-digit range, meaning strong, punchy waves. The winds are light, mostly from the SW or W, which is a good sign. Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th of July are the real standouts here: 5ft of S swell with a 13-second period on Friday, and 3ft of SW swell with a very long 21-second period on Saturday. That Saturday morning, the energy is 1244, and the light cross-onshore wind will keep things clean. The very long period means these waves will be better on the point and reef sections of Cottons Point, not so much the beach. It’s a bit of a gamble at that range, but it looks fantastic.
After that, the swell backs off into the end of the month, with the energy dropping back into the 400-700 range and the wind turning more southerly and cross-onshore. The last few days of July look like we’re back to small, choppy, and poor conditions.
So, to wrap it up, the best windows are Saturday morning the 19th, and then the Friday and Saturday of the 25th and 26th of July. That’s where the energy, the swell direction, and the light wind all line up. It’s still a bit of a long-range promise, but it’s the best we’ve got.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu afternoon, min 20°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Tue morning, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
122 | 122 | 125 | 181 | 103 | 136 | 366 | 307 | 268 | 683 | 1197 | 633 | 1002 | 394 | 452 | 519 | 474 | 474 | 405 | 325 | 394 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 11:47AM1.34m | 11:06PM1.86m | 12:29PM1.38m | 11:54PM1.64m | 1:12PM1.41m | 00:44AM1.39m | 1:58PM1.43m | 1:45AM1.14m | 2:48PM1.44m | 3:09AM0.93m | 3:42PM1.45m | 5:11AM0.84m | 4:40PM1.47m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:04PM0.49m | 6:07AM-0.21m | 5:59PM0.50m | 6:44AM-0.03m | 7:01PM0.53m | 7:19AM0.16m | 8:13PM0.55m | 7:54AM0.37m | 9:43PM0.52m | 8:31AM0.55m | 11:24PM0.42m | 9:18AM0.71m | 00:41AM0.28m | ||||||||
5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | |
— | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:57 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 22 |
Feels °C | 23 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
51 | 44 | 31 | 40 | 103 | 136 | 366 | 307 | 268 | 683 | 1197 | 633 | 1002 | 394 | 176 | 519 | 474 | 474 | 405 | 325 | 394 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 19 | W 7 | W 7 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 17 | W 6 | SSW 15 | W 5 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 9 | S 8 | SW 8 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 |
122 | 122 | 107 | 181 | 24 | 14 | 68 | 97 | 118 | 580 | 12 | 480 | 8 | 208 | 452 | 62 | 36 | 41 | 118 | 203 | 276 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 18 | S 12 | WSW 6 | W 6 | SW 16 | WNW 15 | WNW 15 | WNW 15 | WNW 14 | SSW 20 | SW 13 | SW 11 | SW 9 | S 8 | S 8 | SW 7 | W 6 |
48 | 47 | 125 | 74 | 83 | 25 | 13 | 11 | 91 | 45 | 43 | 21 | 20 | 75 | 28 | 41 | 39 | 33 | 19 | 16 | 31 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 3 | S 4 | SSW 4 | S 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | — | WNW 3 | WSW 7 | W 4 | — |
— | — | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | 4 | 36 | 10 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 82 | 82 | 23 | 87 | 82 | 4 | 82 | 82 | 88 | 82 | 87 | 0 | 82 | 87 | 0 | 82 | 87 | 11 | 87 | 87 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Cottons Point Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cottons Point provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cottons Point can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cottons Point 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 (Cottons Point) 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 Cottons Point 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.
Cottons Point is 5 km (3 miles) from San Clemente. If you plan a vacation in Orange County, look for hotels and other accommodation in San Clemente. San Clemente has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










