Surf Forecasts:
Cottons Point surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 12s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 12s period, S swell with 9,561 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 13s period with SSW 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s is also forecast. 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 6.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 18ft (5.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 20ft (6.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cottons Point over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a long stretch of nothing special. The first week or so is pretty grim. From Tuesday morning the 1st right through to Friday the 5th, it’s all small dribble and messy cross-onshore winds. Wave energy is weak to moderate at best, but the surf quality is just poor or marginal. You’re looking at tiny 2ft to 3ft swells, mostly from the SSW, with short to medium periods. The wind just keeps ruining it. Not worth paddling out for.
Now, things start to change on Saturday the 5th afternoon. The swell pushes up to 5ft from the S, but the wind is cross-shore and the surf is still only marginal. Sunday the 6th though, that’s the standout. A solid 8ft to 10ft S swell starts rolling in, with a period of 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The best of all, the wind goes light offshore from the NE in the morning, then light cross-offshore from the NNE in the afternoon. The wave comment says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers,” and I’ll tell you, this is going to be clean and powerful. Cottons Point is a reef and point setup, so that long-period S swell will wrap in nicely. The water temperature is 77°F, which is a whopping 9°F warmer than normal – that’s very unusual, so you’ll be surfing in a bath.
Monday the 7th keeps the size going with 10ft to 15ft S swell, but the wind gets messy. Morning is clean with light cross-offshore NNW breeze, but the afternoon turns into a moderate cross-shore with a cross-chop at 12 mph. That 15ft monster in the afternoon will be a beast for experts only, but the morning session is still a good one.
After that, it all fades. From Tuesday the 8th onwards, the swell drops back to 1ft to 6ft, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore. There’s nothing else worth getting excited about in the second week. A few days of small, clean-ish marginal surf mid-week, but nothing that’ll get your heart racing.
So, the clear winner here is Sunday the 6th of September. That’s the day. Get on it early for the cleanest conditions.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Tue morning, min 19°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Warm (max 26°C on Sun night, min 20°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 15 | S 15 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 116 | 114 | 93 | 132 | 175 | 291 | 188 | 399 | 547 | 587 | 566 | 674 | 512 | 1010 | 1847 | 3067 | 3430 | 4223 | 2775 | 5630 | 9561 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 11:53AM1.63m | 00:41AM1.06m | 12:34PM1.62m | 2:20AM0.88m | 1:34PM1.57m | 5:35AM0.88m | 3:06PM1.55m | 6:58AM1.01m | 4:42PM1.62m | 7:24AM1.14m | 5:56PM1.74m | 7:51AM1.26m | 6:54PM1.85m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:51PM0.30m | 5:52AM0.58m | 8:11PM0.32m | 6:14AM0.73m | 9:57PM0.27m | 6:35AM0.88m | 11:34PM0.14m | 10:07AM0.94m | 00:38AM-0.01m | 11:51AM0.84m | 1:25AM-0.13m | 12:54PM0.67m | 2:04AM-0.19m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | |
 | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:12 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:08 | — | — | 7:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 13 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 29 |
Feels °C | 22 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | W 5 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 14 | S 15 | S 15 | S 15 | S 15 | S 15 | S 13 | S 12 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 112 | 78 | 27 | 24 | 149 | 203 | 140 | 399 | 547 | 587 | 566 | 674 | 501 | 1010 | 1847 | 3067 | 3430 | 4223 | 2775 | 3594 | 50 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 10 | SSW 12 | S 10 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 10 | W 6 | W 6 | SSE 15 | S 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | WSW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 116 | 114 | 46 | 106 | 80 | 35 | 37 | 56 | 30 | 54 | 240 | 435 | 512 | 512 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | W 6 | W 5 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 14 | 80 | 93 | 132 | 175 | 291 | 188 | 59 | 87 | 78 | 23 | 8 | 46 | 40 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 12 | S 12 |
| kJ | — | 21 | — | — | 22 | — | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5630 | 9561 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 87 | 87 | 0 | 82 | 87 | 0 | 87 | 87 | 0 | 82 | 87 | 0 | 52 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 30 |
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.
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