Surf Forecasts:
Galveston surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 4s period, S swell with 40 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Galveston this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Galveston in the next 16 days are 1.0m 4s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 1AM. 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 | 1AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 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. Lookin’ at this 16-day window for the Galveston area, it’s a tough pill to swallow. We’ve got a whole lot of nothing on the horizon, wave-wise. The surf is just not happening for a while.
The first stretch is a real bummer. From Monday afternoon all the way through the following Saturday, we're staring down a long, flat spell. There's just no push in the water, and what little bump we see is getting chopped up by cross and cross-onshore winds. The swell energy is barely registering, often in the weak single digits or low teens (12, 16). It’s a waiting game, plain and simple.
Finally, around Tuesday the 25th, there’s a slight pulse. The energy numbers start to climb a bit, hitting a moderate (54) on the Tuesday morning. The swell bumps up to 3ft from the SSW, but the wind is still messing it up. It's a cross-shore chop that will make it feel messy and disappointing. There's still nothing surfable in the quality department.
Then it fades again. The end of the month and into the 1st of September is a dead zone. Flat spells with onshore slop. It's a classic blank run for this stretch of coast.
Honestly, I cannot point you to a standout break because our only named spot, Galveston, a breakwater setup, is inconsistent and not breaking with any quality in this entire period. While the water temp is a touch warmer than normal at 87°F, that’s cold comfort when you’re staring at a lake.
If you're desperate, the cleanest windows we see are the Saturday morning on the 22nd and Monday morning on the 24th, where the wind goes light and cross-offshore, cleaning up the surface. But with swell under 2ft, it's ankle-biters at best. It’s more of a “sit on the beach and have a coffee” kind of morning than a surf session. Given the weak surf, the choppy conditions, and the wind, this setup might be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of the period.
Hang in there. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, it's a two-week wait for the next real window.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Mon afternoon, min 28°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 27°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 5 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SSE 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 5 | S 5 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | S 4 | SSW 4 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 22 | 13 | 13 | 21 | 10 | 16 | 24 | 6 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 25 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:17PM0.37m | 7:19AM0.38m | 5:17AM0.41m | 4:30AM0.45m | 4:51AM0.47m | 5:16AM0.48m | 5:33AM0.48m | |||||||||||||
Low Tide | 2:04AM0.34m | 3:27PM0.04m | 4:29PM0.03m | 5:36PM0.02m | 6:41PM0.01m | 7:37PM0.00m | 8:24PM-0.00m | |||||||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
Feels °C | 30 | 31 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 28 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 5 | ESE 5 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 7 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 7 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 6 | S 4 | — | SE 6 | SSW 4 | SE 5 | S 8 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | — | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | — | SE 10 | — | SE 7 | SE 8 | — | — | — | SE 6 | SE 7 | — | SE 8 | S 8 | — |
| kJ | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 4 | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | — | S 10 | SE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | S 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 3 | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SSE 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | — | S 5 | S 4 | SW 4 | S 4 | SSW 4 | — | S 4 | SSW 4 |
| kJ | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 22 | 13 | 13 | 21 | — | 16 | 24 | 5 | 14 | 15 | — | 13 | 25 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1343 | 1295 | 1295 | 1295 | 1295 | 1335 | 1480 | 1330 | 1335 | 1480 | 1330 | 1296 | 1296 | 1335 | 1330 | 1311 | 1295 | 1304 | 797 | 687 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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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