
Surf Forecasts:
Hornitos surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 11s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 23 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 11s period, SW swell with 563 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 10s period with WSW 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 Saturday (Jul 18) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Hornitos in the next 16 days are 1.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 23) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (-04) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hornitos over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the surf outlook for Hornitos over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, this Saturday afternoon (18 July) is a real gem. We’ve got a clean 4ft swell from the WSW with a 10-second period, and the wind is glassy – just a light westerly breeze that’s gone flat. The water’s a touch warmer than normal, sitting at 63°, which is about 2° above the usual for this time of year. The combined energy is solidly moderate (374), and everything’s set for a fun, uncrowded session. It’s a consistent, fairly exposed spot, so expect a few waves. Hornitos is an intermediate-friendly break, and this is the best on offer right now.
Sunday (19 July) is a bit of a letdown. The swell picks up slightly to 4ft, still from the WSW, but the wind goes cross-on and then cross-shore, messing with the surface. The energy is higher (509), but the quality drops, so it’s a pass.
We hit a bit of a dry spell from Monday (20 July) through to Friday (24 July). The swell hangs around 3ft to 4ft, but the wind is always cross-on or cross-shore, and the conditions are marginal to poor. Not worth paddling out.
Then, Saturday (25 July) and Sunday (26 July) start to look a bit better. The swell drops to 3ft to 2ft, but the wind lightens up. Sunday afternoon (26 July) is glassy again, with a 2ft swell from the SW. That’s a very long-period swell at 17 seconds, which means it’ll have real push and shape, but the size is tiny. The energy is still moderate (466), so if you’re on a log, it might be a fun glassy session.
But the real standout is coming up on Tuesday, 28 July. The swell jumps to 6ft in the morning and 7ft in the afternoon, all from the WSW with a 15-second period. The combined energy is huge – 2430 and 2037 – that’s very strong wave energy. The wind is light too, with the morning showing glassy conditions on Wednesday, 29 July, where the swell is a solid 6ft, also from the WSW, with a 13-second period, and the energy is 1194. This is serious groundswell. For Hornitos, a point break, that long period will make for some well-shaped, setty waves. But heads up – at 6ft to 7ft, it’s getting into expert territory, so beginners should sit this one out. The crowds are sometimes an issue, but with this quality, it’ll be worth it.
Thursday, 30 July, sees the swell drop back to 4ft, with cross-shore winds, and Friday, 31 July, is glassy but tiny at 3ft. The first of August (Saturday) has some glassy, clean 3ft swell with a very long 16-second period, so a log day.
Sunday, 2 August, ends the outlook with a 5ft SW swell and 14-second period, but the wind is cross-on and the sky’s cloudy. The energy is strong (881-964), but the conditions are only marginal.
Overall, the best bets are this Saturday afternoon (18 July) for a clean, fun session, and the big groundswell window from Tuesday, 28 July through Wednesday, 29 July for the experts. That Wednesday morning (29 July) with glassy winds and 6ft swell is the one to circle on the calendar.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat morning, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed morning, min 19°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
250 | 250 | 522 | 437 | 429 | 331 | 303 | 314 | 293 | 237 | 229 | 206 | 288 | 256 | 524 | 553 | 423 | 255 | 216 | 206 | 181 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 12:15PM1.21m | 1:02AM0.87m | 1:01PM1.08m | 1:55AM0.89m | 1:48PM0.93m | 2:51AM0.91m | 2:39PM0.80m | 3:50AM0.92m | 3:40PM0.68m | 4:52AM0.93m | 4:54PM0.61m | 5:51AM0.96m | 6:09PM0.58m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:57PM0.01m | 6:45AM0.20m | 7:39PM0.07m | 7:47AM0.28m | 8:20PM0.13m | 8:58AM0.34m | 9:04PM0.19m | 10:21AM0.37m | 9:52PM0.24m | 11:46AM0.36m | 10:47PM0.27m | 12:57PM0.31m | 11:44PM0.28m | ||||||||
7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | |
— | 6:14 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
Feels °C | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 10 |
250 | 250 | 522 | 437 | 429 | 331 | 303 | 314 | 293 | 237 | 229 | 206 | 288 | 256 | 524 | 553 | 423 | 255 | 216 | 206 | 181 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 12 | WNW 20 | WNW 19 | WNW 19 | SW 20 | WNW 18 | SW 18 | W 17 |
97 | 87 | 71 | 67 | 66 | 56 | 54 | 49 | 51 | 47 | 30 | 29 | 10 | 71 | 75 | 72 | 69 | 60 | 63 | 51 | 49 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | WSW 14 | SSW 14 | NW 11 | NW 11 | NW 11 | NW 10 | NW 10 | W 22 | WNW 21 | SW 3 | WNW 21 | WNW 20 | WNW 20 | SW 24 | SW 22 | SW 22 | WNW 19 | SW 20 | W 17 | SW 22 |
18 | 37 | 21 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 45 | 2 | 43 | 40 | 77 | 88 | 73 | 73 | 69 | 60 | 49 | 74 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 71 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 78 | 61 | 127 | 78 | 0 | 305 | 305 | 84 | 305 | 78 | 0 | 172 | 305 | 0 | 172 | 303 | 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.










