El Capitan Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.46° N 120.02° W

El Capitan WaveFinder

Issued: 10 pm 22 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's El Capitan sea temperature is
20.1°C
2.8° 

El Capitan surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


El Capitan surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, NW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period, WNW swell with 766 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period with WNW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for El Capitan this week:

The surf forecast for El Capitan over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 19s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at El Capitan in the next 16 days are 2.2m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Sun 23rd Aug)4.5ft (1.3m) 7s
Best Surf 5AM (Thu 27th Aug)5.5ft (1.7m) 8s
Most Powerful 5AM (Sun 30th Aug)7ft (2.2m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Capitan over the next 16 days.


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