
Surf Forecasts:
Doheney Beach surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 15s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period, SW swell with 477 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Doheney Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Doheney Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Doheney Beach in the next 16 days are 1.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Doheney Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. It’s Rusty here, looking at the stretch ahead. To be honest, it’s not looking like a classic week or two for us. We’ve got a lot of small, jumbled-up surf and a ton of onshore or cross-shore wind. The first couple of days are a real write-off. Friday and Saturday are just hopeless – dribbly little waves, under 3ft, with a cross-onshore wind chopping everything up. The energy is weak too, at 421 and 363. You'd be fighting a losing battle. The swell’s out of the SW, but it's just not organised.
Sunday stays poor, but the wind drops a little. Still, it’s onshore and the swell is weak, only 4ft, with a short 7-second period. It’s just messy. Monday is more of the same, with that short-period bump and onshore wind. Not worth the drive.
The middle of the week, from Wednesday the 16th, we start to see a slight lift in the energy levels, but the surf quality labels are still “poor” or “marginal”. The swell is still small, 2-3ft, but the period stretches out a bit more, into the 16-17 second range. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s just running into a lot of wind. On Wednesday the 17th, the energy jumps up to 518, and we see the first glimmer of something. The wind shifts a little more cross-shore, which helps.
Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th are still not firing, but the energy is building. It’s there. The surf is still under 3ft, but that long period is in the water. We're just waiting for the wind to play ball. The first real hope comes on Saturday the 19th of September. The wind drops to a slight air, and it's a light cross-onshore. The surf is still small, 3ft, but with an 18-second period, there could be some clean, lined-up little waves at Doheney Beach.
Then we get to Sunday the 20th. This is the standout. The morning looks the best on offer. The wind is light and onshore, but the swell is 3ft from the SW, with a strong 18-second period. The energy reading is the highest we see at 705. It’s still not big, but it’s gonna be clean, it’s gonna be consistent, and that long period will bring some real push. It’s a reef, so that long-period swell will wrap in nicely. Keep your expectations in check, but this is the session to aim for.
Monday the 21st holds similar potential, with the energy still high at 660 and 646. The wind is light again in the morning, though it picks up in the afternoon. That could be a good window too.
After that, the week of the 22nd to the 26th gets a bit more hit-and-miss. The energy drops off a bit, and the wind stays mostly cross-shore. The period backs off a little too. Tuesday the 22nd has a brief clean window in the afternoon with a cross-offshore wind, but the energy is down to 447. The rest is back to small, marginal surf. The final days are just dribbling out, with weak energy and onshore winds. The 18-second swell shows up again on Saturday the 26th, but it’s small and the wind is onshore, so it’s another wash-out.
So, to wrap up: if you’ve got to get wet, aim for the 20th and 21st of September. That’s your best window for clean, lined-up, albeit small, waves. Before that, it’s pretty grim. The surf is small for sure, but that long period is there, so it’s got more going for it than the forecast lets on. Keep your eyes on that wind forecast, and don't get too excited. For a beginner, the 3ft is fine, but the power from that 18-second period might be a bit much for the very first time.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Thu night, min 21°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Mon afternoon, min 20°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 7 | W 7 | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
483 | 349 | 314 | 309 | 214 | 164 | 160 | 127 | 103 | 211 | 117 | 150 | 147 | 127 | 127 | 113 | 386 | 240 | 291 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 9:23PM2.20m | 10:03AM2.05m | 10:06PM2.06m | 10:31AM2.09m | 10:48PM1.88m | 10:58AM2.09m | 11:32PM1.68m | 11:26AM2.06m | 00:21AM1.49m | 11:56AM1.99m | 1:26AM1.32m | 12:29PM1.90m | 3:59AM1.22m | ||||||
Low Tide | 3:48AM0.28m | 4:03PM0.53m | 4:16AM0.44m | 4:45PM0.49m | 4:42AM0.61m | 5:29PM0.51m | 5:06AM0.80m | 6:16PM0.56m | 5:26AM0.96m | 7:11PM0.64m | 5:39AM1.11m | 8:25PM0.71m | |||||||
— | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:55 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
Feels °C | 27 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
483 | 349 | 314 | 309 | 214 | 32 | 83 | 127 | 103 | 211 | 117 | 149 | 76 | 76 | 56 | 32 | 386 | 240 | 291 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 6 | W 5 | SW 13 |
24 | 39 | 27 | 24 | 32 | 164 | 160 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 108 | 150 | 147 | 127 | 122 | 87 | 11 | 9 | 59 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | S 10 | SSW 11 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 10 |
39 | 19 | 22 | 15 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 12 | 58 | 127 | 44 | 40 | 38 | 37 | 127 | 113 | 16 | 16 | 31 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 74 | 74 | 76 | 12 | 74 | 97 | 37 | 76 | 97 | 41 | 74 | 139 | 3 | 74 | 77 | 9 | 76 | 97 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Doheney Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Doheney Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Doheney Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Doheney Beach 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 (Doheney Beach) 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 Doheney Beach 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.
Doheney Beach is 2 km (1 miles) from Dana Point. If you plan a vacation in Orange County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Dana Point. Dana Point has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










