
Surf Forecasts:
4 Mile surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 1 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, NW swell with 1,365 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 28 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 17s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for 4 Mile this week:
The surf forecast for 4 Mile over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 1.4m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at 4 Mile in the next 16 days are 2.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 15s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 28th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 1st Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for 4 Mile over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll level with you – this 16-day window for 4 Mile is a real mixed bag. We’ve got a few moments where things could line up, but a lot of it is just marginal, with the wind being the main trouble. Let’s break it down.
The first real chance to get wet comes on Tuesday, the 28th of July. The morning has a clean 4ft swell from the SSW, but it’s coming in at a very long 18 seconds. That’s classic groundswell energy, but at a point break like 4 Mile, that long period can make it a bit too straight, you know? The wind is a moderate cross-shore at 12 mph, so it’s not glassy. The combined energy is moderate, sitting at 914. The water is 59°, which is about 2° warmer than usual, so it’s a touch on the mild side for this time of year. Not a standout, but a surfable morning.
Wednesday the 29th is a similar story. The morning has a 4ft SSW swell, period dropping to 16 seconds, and a gentle cross-shore at 9 mph. The energy is a bit stronger at 1305, but it’s still a cross-shore, so the surface won’t be perfect. Wednesday afternoon is a write-off with a fresh 19 mph cross-shore.
Thursday, the 30th, is more of the same – 3ft SSW swell, 16 second period, and a moderate cross-shore. The energy drops to 774. It’s just not clean enough to get excited about.
Now, Friday the 31st of July shows a shift. The morning brings a 6ft swell from the NW, but the period is a short 8 seconds. That’s windswell, and it’s going to be lumpy. The wind is a gentle cross-shore, but the energy is moderate at 867. It’s not a great combo.
The first promising window opens up on Saturday, the 1st of August. The morning has a 5ft WNW swell with a 9-second period, and a gentle cross-shore at 9 mph. The energy is 666. It’s on the cusp of being too big for beginners, but for an advanced surfer at 4 Mile, it’s worth a look. Sunday the 2nd of August morning is similar, with a 6ft WNW swell, 10-second period, and a gentle cross-shore. The energy is 721. Then Sunday afternoon, the swell jumps to 8ft from the NW, with a 10-second period and a moderate cross-shore, and the energy cranks up to 1764. That’s strong wave energy, and it’s only for experts. The wind is still a cross-shore, so it won’t be perfect, but the size is there.
The single best option in the whole window is Monday, the 3rd of August morning. The swell is 5ft from the WNW, 10-second period, but the wind switches to a light onshore breeze from the SW at 6 mph. The energy is moderate at 542. The wind is light and onshore, but it’s the cleanest wind we see in the whole run. The break is exposed to the swell, and the optimum direction is from the W, so the WNW swell is a good match. This is a solid, clean, surfable morning. After that, it goes downhill fast.
From Tuesday the 4th of August all the way through to Sunday the 9th, the surf gets smaller and the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore. The swell drops to 3ft to 4ft, periods shorten, and the energy dips below 500. It’s a long, flat stretch with poor conditions. There’s a gap of about 5 days here with nothing worth recommending.
The tail end of the period, from the 10th of August onwards, sees tiny swells of 2ft to 3ft, with cross-shore winds picking up to 19 mph again. The energy is weak. The 12th of August morning has a 3ft SSW swell with a very long 18-second period, and the energy is 700, but the wind is a moderate cross-shore. It’s a tease.
So, the standout is the morning of Monday, the 3rd of August. That’s your best bet for a clean, fun session at 4 Mile. Everything else is a battle with the wind or just too small. The spot is fairly consistent, but the conditions rarely align perfectly. Keep an eye on the long-range forecast for the 3rd of August, but for now, that’s the one to circle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | NW 8 | SSW 15 | S 13 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 10 | WNW 10 | NW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
751 | 877 | 619 | 612 | 604 | 575 | 527 | 397 | 305 | 381 | 284 | 356 | 372 | 439 | 1365 | 638 | 1122 | 665 | 472 | 343 | 274 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 11:51AM1.56m | 10:11PM2.16m | 12:19PM1.60m | 10:49PM2.14m | 12:47PM1.64m | 11:27PM2.07m | 1:14PM1.69m | 00:06AM1.96m | 1:41PM1.75m | 00:49AM1.82m | 2:08PM1.81m | 1:39AM1.65m | 2:38PM1.88m | 2:41AM1.48m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:07PM1.22m | 5:34AM0.21m | 4:49PM1.18m | 6:05AM0.24m | 5:32PM1.14m | 6:34AM0.30m | 6:18PM1.10m | 7:02AM0.40m | 7:08PM1.04m | 7:29AM0.53m | 8:03PM0.97m | 7:56AM0.68m | 9:06PM0.88m | ||||||||
6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | |
— | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:16 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | S 13 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 |
751 | 877 | 232 | 237 | 604 | 294 | 527 | 397 | 287 | 202 | 284 | 237 | 372 | 272 | 732 | 638 | 563 | 665 | 472 | 343 | 274 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | S 19 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSE 15 | SSW 16 | S 11 | SSE 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 15 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
35 | 7 | 619 | 612 | 44 | 575 | 2 | 21 | 305 | 284 | 86 | 356 | 272 | 21 | 134 | 35 | 46 | 44 | 44 | 42 | 38 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 9 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | S 11 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | S 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
8 | 31 | 19 | 24 | 86 | 40 | 2 | 172 | 93 | 87 | 56 | 53 | 22 | 15 | 74 | 48 | 33 | 18 | 26 | 65 | 65 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | — | NW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | NW 8 | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 9 | NW 10 | — | NW 10 | — | — | — | — |
120 | 180 | — | 456 | 334 | 467 | 243 | 334 | — | 381 | 215 | — | — | 439 | 1365 | — | 1122 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 13 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 70 | 329 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Cruz | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the 4 Mile Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for 4 Mile provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at 4 Mile can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our 4 Mile 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 (4 Mile) 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 4 Mile 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.
4 Mile is 12 km (7 miles) from Santa Cruz. If you plan a vacation in Santa Cruz, look for hotels and other accommodation in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










