
Surf Forecasts:
Deadman's surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 23s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 21s period, SSW swell with 1,221 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 17s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Deadman's this week:
The surf forecast for Deadman's over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Deadman's in the next 16 days are 1.2m 21s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 23s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 21s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Deadman's over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks. We're only looking at one spot for this stretch, Deadman's, a reef break that's pretty exposed to the southwest swell. The water's sittin' at 55°, which is dead average for this time of year, so nothing weird goin' on there.
The period kicks off on Sunday the 19th with a bit of a tease. We've got a solid 3 ft SW groundswell rollin' in with a very long 17-second period, packin' a moderate 800 units of energy. The wind is a light cross-shore, but the report flags it as marginal, so it's not really a goer. The real standout of the entire forecast is Monday morning, the 20th. It's a smaller 2 ft, but the swell direction is pure SW, and the period is a very long 16 seconds. The big news is the wind: it's glassy, absolutely dead calm, with a NE breeze. That's the jackpot for a reef. The energy is moderate at 526 units, but the conditions are described as "very good." This is the cleanest window we've got, hands down.
The rest of that week, from Monday afternoon through to Thursday the 23rd, is a bit of a mixed bag. The swell hangs around 2 ft to 3 ft, mostly from the SSW, with those long periods. The wind is fickle, mostly light cross-shore or cross-onshore, keepin' things a bit messy. Wednesday afternoon the 22nd has another glassy moment with a 3 ft SSW swell and a shorter 10-second period, but the energy drops to 348 units. It's okay, but not the stand-out.
Headin' into the end of the first week and the start of the second, things get bigger but messier. Friday the 24th sees a jump in swell with a 3 ft SW groundswell, a very long 24-second period, and energy jumpin' to 1024 units. That's strong energy. The wind is a light cross-shore, so it's not completely blown out, but the quality is still marked as "marginal." By Saturday the 25th, the swell is up to 4 ft from the SSW, period at 21 seconds, and energy is a very strong 1719 units. But the wind is a moderate cross-shore, creatin' chop. This pattern continues through to the end of the month: bigger swells (3 ft to 4 ft), very long periods (17 to 21 seconds), and moderate to fresh cross-shore or cross-offshore winds. The energy stays high, often in the 1000 to 1300 range, but the conditions are "clean" when the wind goes cross-off, but still considered "marginal" for surf quality.
Then we get to Wednesday the 29th. The afternoon session sees a big shift. The swell height jumps to 7 ft, but it's comin' from the NW now, with a short, wind-swell period of just 8 seconds. The energy is still very strong at 1326 units, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore at 19 mph, makin' it lumpy. This is not a paddle surfer's dream. This shift to a short-period, onshore-angled NW windswell continues through the first week of August. On Thursday the 30th, we see 7 ft from the NW with that short 8-second period, and the wind is cross-offshore, so it's clean, but the wave quality is still "marginal." Honestly, from the 29th of July onward, the setup looks like it might be more interesting for the kite crowd than for us paddle surfers, given the size, short period, and strong wind.
The swell hangs around 5 ft to 7 ft for a few days, but by Sunday the 2nd of August, it drops back to 4 ft from the S, with a 12-second period and moderate energy. The wind is cross-offshore, keepin' it clean, but it's "marginal" at best. Monday the 3rd of August sees the energy drop right off to 212 units, and the conditions are described as "poor," so we're done.
So, to sum it up: the one true standout is Monday morning, the 20th of July. Get on it. That glassy window with the long-period SW groundswell at Deadman's is the pick of the entire 16 days. The followin' week has size and energy, but the quality is inconsistent, and the last week looks like a write-off for clean paddle surfing.
Rusty, signin' off.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri night, min 12°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 26 | SSW 24 | SW 24 | SW 23 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
439 | 419 | 261 | 362 | 367 | 310 | 203 | 261 | 196 | 167 | 220 | 233 | 233 | 447 | 374 | 801 | 558 | 1221 | 898 | 872 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:22PM1.76m | 4:22AM1.36m | 5:02PM1.77m | 5:40AM1.19m | 5:44PM1.78m | 7:13AM1.10m | 6:30PM1.78m | 8:45AM1.11m | 7:18PM1.80m | 9:56AM1.17m | 8:07PM1.82m | 10:48AM1.23m | 8:54PM1.86m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:44PM0.51m | 10:22AM0.40m | 11:52PM0.42m | 11:03AM0.61m | 00:59AM0.33m | 11:47AM0.78m | 2:02AM0.23m | 12:38PM0.91m | 2:59AM0.13m | 1:37PM0.99m | 3:49AM0.03m | 2:38PM1.02m | 4:32AM-0.05m | |||||||
— | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
8:40 | — | — | 8:40 | — | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:38 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:37 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 19 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | SSW 16 | S 12 | SSW 14 | S 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | NW 9 | SSW 13 | SW 24 | S 16 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 |
196 | 169 | 149 | 149 | 112 | 310 | 130 | 261 | 195 | 167 | 220 | 233 | 233 | 97 | 158 | 801 | 242 | 1221 | 898 | 872 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | NW 8 | SW 14 | S 12 | NW 8 | SSW 16 | S 9 | NW 10 | NW 10 | SSW 14 | SSE 13 | SSW 13 | SW 23 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 |
439 | 419 | 261 | 362 | 367 | 58 | 203 | 175 | 58 | 142 | 79 | 96 | 92 | 173 | 137 | 141 | 558 | 243 | 219 | 136 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 14 | NW 8 | SSW 15 | NW 8 | NW 8 | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 26 | SSW 24 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 17 | S 14 |
165 | 118 | 116 | 173 | 212 | 137 | 96 | 61 | 196 | 30 | 39 | 49 | 28 | 447 | 374 | 82 | 98 | 64 | 143 | 148 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 8 | — | — | NW 4 | — | — | WNW 4 | NW 5 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 6 | NW 8 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 75 | — | — | 9 | — | — | 10 | 43 | 18 | 131 | 176 | 191 | 193 | 119 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 195 | 1 | 1 | 99 | 1 | 108 | 2 | 1 | 257 | 2 | 1 | 195 | 195 | 1 | 195 | 2 | 1 | 195 | 384 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Humboldt County | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Deadman's Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Deadman's provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Deadman's can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Deadman's 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 (Deadman's) 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 Deadman's 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.
Deadman's is 86 km (53 miles) from Eureka. If you plan a vacation in Humboldt County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Eureka. Eureka has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










