Surf Forecasts:
Galveston surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 4s period, S swell with 22 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Galveston this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Galveston in the next 16 days are 0.8m 4s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) 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 (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 4s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Galveston over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this is a tough one to get excited about. The whole 16-day window is a run of flat, weak, and messy conditions. There’s no real swell on offer, and the wind is rarely your friend. The first surf recommendation doesn’t even show up until the 19th of August, and honestly, it’s not a recommendation you’ll remember.
The core problem is tiny, short-period windswell that barely gets out of the 1 ft to 2 ft range. The period is a very short 4 to 5 seconds, which means the waves are weak, fat, and close to the beach. The combined energy of all swells is pitiful, never climbing above 23 (23) – that’s anemic. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.
If you’re desperate for a paddle, Galveston is the only break on the cards. It’s a breakwater setup, inconsistent, and crowds are possible. The optimum swell direction is from the SE, and we just don’t get that here. The best of a bad bunch looks like Thursday morning, the 27th of August. We’ve got a 2 ft swell from the S with a period of 5 seconds, and a light WSW breeze of 9 mph, which is a gentle cross-shore. That’s about as clean as it’s going to get. The combined energy is only 11 (11), so expect weak, crumbly little waves. After that, we get into a flat spell from the 29th of August through the 1st of September, with swell dropping to just 0.3 ft. The very end of the forecast, on the 2nd and 3rd of September, sees a slight uptick to 2 ft - 2 ft from the SE, but the wind is onshore, making it choppy and poor. Honestly, for a proper surf, you’d be better off looking for a different hobby for a few weeks.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Wed morning, min 27°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Sat morning, min 28°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Sun morning, fresh winds from the SSE by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | SSW 4 | S 4 | S 4 | SW 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 5 | 10 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 21 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:30AM0.45m | 4:51AM0.47m | 5:16AM0.48m | 5:33AM0.48m | 5:33AM0.47m | 5:30AM0.46m | 1:15PM0.43m | ||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 4:29PM0.03m | 5:36PM0.02m | 6:41PM0.01m | 7:37PM0.00m | 8:24PM-0.00m | 9:02PM-0.00m | 10:36AM0.42m | 9:34PM0.01m | |||||||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
Feels °C | 31 | 29 | 28 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 33 | 31 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | SE 5 | SE 5 | S 8 | S 4 | SE 7 | SE 6 | S 4 | — | SE 6 | SSW 4 | — | S 6 | SSW 4 | — | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 1 | 5 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 10 | — | S 8 | SE 6 | SE 5 | SE 7 | — | SE 6 | S 8 | — | SSE 5 | SE 8 | S 6 | S 6 | — | — | SE 8 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 4 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SE 9 | SE 7 | S 8 | S 7 | — | — | S 8 | S 6 | — | S 7 | — | — | — | SE 9 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | — | S 4 | S 4 | — | S 4 | S 4 | — | S 4 | S 4 | SW 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 |
| kJ | 5 | 10 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 10 | — | 6 | 11 | — | 6 | 7 | — | 3 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 21 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1311 | 1435 | 1330 | 1335 | 1480 | 1330 | 1335 | 1458 | 1302 | 1335 | 1304 | 1296 | 1335 | 1435 | 1330 | 1335 | 1435 | 1295 | 1296 | 1435 | 1296 |
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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 Galveston 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 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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