Surf Forecasts:
Galveston surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period, SE swell with 77 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Galveston this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Galveston in the next 16 days are 0.9m 7s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Galveston over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you, the outlook for Galveston over the next couple of weeks is looking pretty grim. We've got a long dry spell ahead, so don't get your hopes up.
The entire 16-day window is a tough one. There’s no real swell to speak of, and the conditions are mostly messy. We're looking at a solid gap of several days with no worthwhile waves, and honestly, the whole run looks like a write-off for decent paddle surfing.
The water is running much warmer than normal right now, about 87°, so that's something. We've got a mix of onshore and cross-onshore winds keeping things choppy and bumpy for the first stretch, with tiny swell (combined energy of all swells directed here at just 9). Most of the time, the swell is a weak 1 ft to 2 ft from the south or southeast, with short periods of 4 to 5 seconds. That's all windswell junk.
We get a brief window on the morning of Saturday the 19th of September with offshore wind from NNW at 9 mph, cleaning things up, but the swell is still a pathetic 1 ft from the southeast. Not enough to do anything with. The afternoon of the 19th goes glassy, but the swell is the same story. Then on the 20th, the wind swings northwest to north at 16 mph, fully offshore, but the swell drops to a tiny 0.7 ft from the east. Clean conditions with nothing to ride.
There's no standout here. Nothing even comes close. For the entire forecast, the break is Galveston itself, a breakwater setup that is inconsistent at the best of times. It's exposed to the southeast, but we just aren't getting any push. Even the few sessions with clean, offshore wind or glassy conditions on the 19th, 20th and 25th are completely let down by the lack of any real swell. The swell is too small and weak for any level of surfer.
Given the persistent onshore flow and the tiny, weak swell for most of the period, the whole setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. With combined wave energy never topping the weak 60s, it's just not worth paddling out.
Keep your boards in the car, but leave the fins at home for now. Forecasts can change, but this one looks locked in as a dud.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Fri morning. Warm (max 30°C on Fri morning, min 28°C on Fri afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 28°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 4 | SSW 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 5 | S 6 | S 5 | S 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 4 | SE 4 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 5 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 17 | 17 | 10 | 13 | 26 | 38 | 61 | 55 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 5:05PM0.49m | 5:29AM0.44m | 6:15PM0.48m | 5:39AM0.43m | 7:27PM0.48m | 5:43AM0.44m | 8:46PM0.48m | 5:29AM0.45m | 10:24PM0.48m | 4:15AM0.47m | 3:36AM0.50m | 3:51AM0.52m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 10:54AM0.23m | 11:26PM0.19m | 11:31AM0.17m | 00:04AM0.27m | 12:10PM0.12m | 00:40AM0.35m | 12:51PM0.09m | 1:11AM0.42m | 1:35PM0.08m | 1:22AM0.47m | 2:27PM0.08m | 3:29PM0.09m | |||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | |
 | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — |
 | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — |
mm | 6 | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 30 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
Feels °C | 31 | 29 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 7 | SE 8 | — | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 5 | — | SSE 4 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 5 | S 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 14 | — | 8 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | S 7 | — | — | S 9 | S 10 | SE 9 | S 9 | — | SE 8 | SSE 6 | — | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | SE 9 | SE 7 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | 8 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | — | — | — | S 11 | SE 8 | — | SE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | S 11 | — | SE 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 5 | S 6 | S 5 | S 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | — | SE 4 | — | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | — | ESE 4 | SE 4 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 7 |
| kJ | 5 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 15 | 14 | — | 16 | — | 17 | 17 | — | 13 | 26 | 38 | 61 | 55 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1296 | 1435 | 1298 | 1307 | 1435 | 1311 | 1296 | 1437 | 1295 | 1295 | 1450 | 1295 | 1335 | 1437 | 1330 | 1335 | 1435 | 1330 | 1335 | 1480 | 1330 |
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Information about the Galveston Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Galveston provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Galveston can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Galveston 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 (Galveston) 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 Galveston 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.
Galveston is 3 km (2 miles) from Galveston. If you plan a vacation in Texas, look for hotels and other accommodation in Galveston. Galveston has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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