Surf Forecasts:
4 Mile surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 8s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period, NW swell with 498 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 1.0m 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 1.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for 4 Mile over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cooking for the next couple of weeks.
We’re looking at a pretty quiet stretch ahead overall. The first surfable day is Thursday the 20th of August, so there's no gap to worry about, but the quality is a real struggle for the first week. The energy is there, but the winds are just not cooperating, keeping things messy and choppy. For the first several days, it's all cross-shore winds and cross-chop, which is about as frustrating as it gets – you're fighting the bumps all the way down the line. The good news is that this is a fairly consistent setup, so a shift in the wind is all it would take to turn things around.
The best bet in this whole window, and I mean the only real standout, is the morning of Thursday the 27th of August. Check this out: the swell bumps up to a solid 6ft with moderate energy (808). It's a short-period, 8-second affair from the NW, so it won't be the most organized, but the wind at that time is a gentle breeze from the WNW, keeping things cross-shore with only a slight cross-chop. That's the cleanest conditions we'll see. 6ft is getting a bit hefty for beginners, but for the advanced crew at 4 Mile, it's game on. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so just a normal summer rashie day.
Honestly, the rest of the period is a write-off. We get a few mornings like the 28th of August and the 3rd of September where the swell is over 5ft and the wind is light, but it’s cross-onshore, so it'll be lumpy. Wednesday the 2nd of September morning has a little 4ft WNW swell with a 10-second period and light cross-onshore wind, which is maybe the next best option, but it's still not great. The combined swell energy is moderate (572), but the wind kills the quality. By the second week, it's more of the same: a few pulses of swell but always with a messy wind to spoil it. There's nothing in this window that looks good for a beginner. If you're looking for glassy conditions, you're out of luck.
So there you have it. The only real window is that Thursday morning, the 27th. The rest is a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | NW 7 | WNW 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 252 | 173 | 183 | 183 | 105 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 111 | 135 | 144 | 86 | 157 | 155 | 150 | 193 | 181 | 130 | 124 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 7:01AM1.33m | 4:57PM1.88m | 8:32AM1.39m | 5:58PM1.89m | 9:19AM1.45m | 6:56PM1.93m | 9:50AM1.50m | 7:47PM1.98m | 10:16AM1.54m | 8:32PM2.04m | 10:39AM1.59m | 9:14PM2.08m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:53PM0.64m | 10:03AM1.27m | 1:01AM0.58m | 11:22AM1.34m | 1:57AM0.51m | 12:43PM1.34m | 2:43AM0.43m | 1:43PM1.31m | 3:21AM0.36m | 2:32PM1.25m | 3:55AM0.31m | 3:14PM1.17m | 4:25AM0.29m | ||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 14 |
Feels °C | 12 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 14 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 |
| kJ | 61 | 173 | 183 | 183 | 91 | 64 | 99 | 99 | 65 | 61 | 110 | 27 | 96 | 103 | 150 | 58 | 45 | 42 | 29 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | S 14 | S 14 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 13 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 252 | 107 | 109 | 93 | 105 | 99 | 60 | 39 | 111 | 98 | 144 | 51 | 106 | 153 | 147 | 193 | 181 | 87 | 124 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 13 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | S 10 | WNW 10 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | WNW 11 | S 13 | S 13 | SW 16 | S 13 |
| kJ | 127 | 36 | 15 | 15 | 81 | 79 | 30 | 61 | 2 | 31 | 94 | 83 | 157 | 155 | 12 | 90 | 89 | 130 | 84 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 7 | WNW 4 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 4 | NW 4 | NW 5 | NW 5 | NW 7 | — | WNW 7 | — | — | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 57 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 32 | 9 | 19 | 67 | 135 | — | 86 | — | — | 73 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 13 | 16 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 96 | 13 | 0 | 96 | 13 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Cruz | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our 4 Mile surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
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