
Surf Forecasts:
Hornitos surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 10s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 14 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SW swell with 362 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 10 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 12s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Hornitos this week:
The surf forecast for Hornitos over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Hornitos in the next 16 days are 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 14) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (-04) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Mon 14th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hornitos over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this stretch is not about big hero waves. It’s about picking the right windows, getting on it when the morning’s clean, and knowing when to call it. We’ve got a solid run of small, rideable surf, but you’ll be working for it, and most of the good stuff is locked into the early sessions before the onshores kick up.
We’re talking about Hornitos, and right now the water is sitting at 66° with an anomaly of 6° warmer than what you’d expect this time of year. That’s a seriously unusual bit of warmth—not just a little bump, it’s a proper marine heatwave feel. You won’t need much rubber, that’s for sure.
The first real window that’s worth your time is Wednesday the 14th, in the morning. It’s glassy, light wind, and the swell is around 2ft from the SW with a long 18-second period. The energy reading is 461, which is the strongest we see in the whole run. It’s not big, but it’s clean and there’s some push behind it. That long period means the waves will have a bit more shape to them, and the glassy conditions will make it feel better than the size suggests. This is your standout for the first week.
Then we get another decent one on Tuesday the 15th, again first thing. Glassy, 3ft from the WSW, period of 14 seconds, energy at 413. That’s a touch more size, and the WSW angle is right on the money for Hornitos. Clean, lined up, and you’ll have it mostly to yourself—crowds are only “sometimes” here, so it’s not going to be a scrap. This is probably the pick of the whole forecast, to be honest.
After that, it gets pretty average. The mornings on the 16th and 17th are glassy but the swell drops off and the energy weakens. The 17th, in particular, drops to 133 in the energy readings—that’s marginal, mushy stuff. A couple of mornings around the 20th and 21st have glassy conditions, but the waves are tiny and weak. The 21st has a bit of WNW in the wind, flat calm, but the swell is just not doing the work.
Then we see a bit of a pulse late in the run. Thursday the 24th has the swell pushing back up to 3ft from the SW, period of 12 seconds, energy of 256 on the morning session. It’s still glassy, so that could be a fun little fin wave if you’re keen to stretch the holiday out. But it’s further out, so treat that one as promising, not locked in.
Everything else in the afternoons is pretty much blown out by cross-on and onshore breeze. Nothing worth paddling out for. The size is small throughout—nothing gets close to 5ft, so it’s all safe for the less experienced, and there’s no point where it gets scary or too big. The period stays mostly in that 11 to 14 second range, so the waves will be okay shape-wise, but the energy is mostly weak to moderate. Just don’t expect much punch.
The one gem is the 14th and 15th morning sessions. If you can get out then, do it. Otherwise, pick your glassy mornings and enjoy the warm water.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Fri morning, min 15°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
246 | 242 | 198 | 301 | 245 | 215 | 208 | 208 | 124 | 116 | 344 | 251 | 135 | 170 | 196 | 246 | 211 | 340 | 347 | 288 | 241 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy |
High Tide | 9:24PM0.85m | 9:33AM1.24m | 10:05PM0.94m | 10:14AM1.22m | 10:44PM1.01m | 10:54AM1.15m | 11:22PM1.06m | 11:32AM1.05m | 00:00AM1.08m | 12:11PM0.94m | 00:39AM1.07m | 12:50PM0.82m | 1:20AM1.03m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:32PM0.01m | 3:07AM0.08m | 4:08PM-0.02m | 3:56AM0.05m | 4:41PM-0.03m | 4:42AM0.05m | 5:13PM-0.00m | 5:28AM0.07m | 5:45PM0.04m | 6:14AM0.11m | 6:15PM0.10m | 7:02AM0.17m | 6:47PM0.17m | ||||||||
7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | |
— | 7:32 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:35 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 19 |
Feels °C | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 7 | SW 7 | SW 7 | SW 8 | SW 12 | SW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
246 | 242 | 120 | 301 | 245 | 215 | 65 | 63 | 84 | 86 | 344 | 251 | 135 | 170 | 196 | 144 | 101 | 340 | 347 | 288 | 241 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 6 | SW 6 | NW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | NW 12 | NW 12 | SW 11 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 8 | SW 8 |
148 | 129 | 198 | 21 | 23 | 6 | 208 | 208 | 124 | 116 | 6 | 5 | 42 | 97 | 129 | 246 | 211 | 99 | 61 | 54 | 40 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 12 | NW 12 | NW 13 | NW 13 | NW 13 | — | NW 13 | NW 13 | NW 12 | NW 12 | SW 19 | SW 18 | WSW 18 | NW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | NW 12 | NW 12 | NW 12 |
6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | — | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 13 | 30 | 5 | 50 | 71 | 104 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 3 | SW 4 | SW 5 | — | — | SW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
5 | 6 | 21 | — | — | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 305 | 305 | 305 | 4 | 127 | 221 | 84 | 305 | 0 | 0 | 305 | 0 | 305 | 305 | 305 | 0 | 127 | 0 | 0 | 305 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Antofagasta | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Chile | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Hornitos Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Hornitos provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Hornitos can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Hornitos 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 (Hornitos) 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 Hornitos 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.
Hornitos is 22 km (14 miles) from the city of Mejillones. If you plan a holiday in Antofagasta, look for hotels and other accommodation in Mejillones. Mejillones has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










