
Surf Forecasts:
Huntington Cliffs surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 17s period, SW swell with 405 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 17 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Huntington Cliffs this week:
The surf forecast for Huntington Cliffs over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Huntington Cliffs in the next 16 days are 0.9m 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 21st Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Huntington Cliffs over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. It’s a bit of a flat spell out there for the next few days, to be honest. Looking at the charts for Huntington Cliffs, we’ve got a whole lot of nothing happening for the start of this period. The swell is small and the wind is just junk – mostly cross-onshore and onshore, which is going to chop up anything that tries to break. The water is warm, though, sitting at 73°F, and that’s running a fair bit warmer than usual for this time of year, which is a nice touch if you’re just going for a paddle.
The first real mention of anything surfable doesn’t come until Thursday, September 17th, and even then, it’s marginal. We’re looking at a small southwest swell around 2ft, but there are question marks over the tide. The wind is light and straight onshore, which isn't ideal, but it might be rideable on the right sandbank. It’s not going to be epic, but it's the only game in town that morning.
Honestly, the next week or so is a grind. The swell stays in that 2ft to 3ft range, and the wind keeps flipping between light and gentle breezes, but it’s mostly cross-onshore. There’s a brief window on the morning of Saturday, September 19th where the wind drops right out – just a slight air – and we get a 2ft southwest swell, but it’s still just cross-onshore. It’s promising to be clean with that long 18-second period, but the size is lacking. There’s a real gap of poor conditions stretching from now until then, with only these marginal calls to keep the hope alive.
Moving into the following week, the swell from the southwest tries to push up a touch, hitting 3ft on Monday, September 21st, but again, the wind is light and mostly onshore. It’s a consistent theme – the energy is there in the water, but the quality just isn’t. This setup looks like it’s going to be a real struggle for a paddle surfer, to be honest. The surf quality is poor, the wind is onshore, and it’s a beach setup. If it stays this windy, it might be more interesting for the kite crew than anyone on a shortboard. The wave period is still long, around 17 seconds, but it’s just too small to do anything with.
After that, we start to see the swell slowly back off again. The waves get smaller, back down to 2ft to 2ft. The period also shortens, losing that long-period groundswell energy. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, choppy, and poor conditions through the end of the month. There’s a hint of a cleaner window on Sunday, September 27th, with a little more southwest in the swell and the wind dropping to a slight air, but it’s still only 2ft.
So, what’s the call? The best on offer is probably that Thursday, September 17th morning, but it’s a low bar. A day later, on Saturday, September 19th, might be cleaner if you can find a bank, but it’s still small. Keep your expectations low, and maybe look at the long-range. The forecasts are a bit more uncertain the further out you go, but there’s a glimmer of a better period on Tuesday, September 29th and Wednesday, September 30th, with the swell direction swinging back to the southwest and periods picking back up to 15-16 seconds. It’s still small, around 2ft, but the energy is there. It’s promising, but I wouldn’t book the time off work just yet.
It’s a tough stretch, folks. Sometimes it’s like this. We just gotta wait for that window to open up.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 19°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 19°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | SSW 20 | SW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
127 | 127 | 87 | 348 | 252 | 291 | 223 | 191 | 242 | 236 | 236 | 183 | 255 | 252 | 252 | 375 | 379 | 358 | 338 | 405 | 318 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:58AM1.99m | 1:29AM1.32m | 12:32PM1.90m | 4:03AM1.23m | 1:18PM1.80m | 2:40PM1.72m | 8:15AM1.44m | 4:25PM1.73m | 7:57AM1.50m | 5:38PM1.80m | 8:04AM1.57m | 6:30PM1.89m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 7:14PM0.63m | 5:41AM1.11m | 8:28PM0.71m | 5:07AM1.23m | 10:10PM0.72m | 11:38PM0.66m | 10:13AM1.43m | 00:32AM0.56m | 11:56AM1.34m | 1:09AM0.48m | 12:43PM1.22m | 1:38AM0.41m | |||||||||
6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | |
— | 6:59 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:55 | — | — | 6:53 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
Feels °C | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | W 9 | W 8 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 6 | W 7 | SW 18 | W 7 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
127 | 39 | 20 | 348 | 252 | 291 | 223 | 191 | 242 | 118 | 104 | 139 | 255 | 252 | 37 | 58 | 379 | 71 | 338 | 405 | 318 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WSW 6 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | W 5 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 7 | SW 17 | W 6 | W 6 | WSW 6 |
22 | 88 | 87 | 6 | 14 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 111 | 236 | 236 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 252 | 375 | 42 | 358 | 39 | 26 | 10 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | S 9 | W 5 | SSW 13 | SW 21 | SW 21 | W 5 | W 6 | S 11 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 |
23 | 127 | 69 | 15 | 5 | 33 | 116 | 116 | 4 | 15 | 9 | 183 | 99 | 96 | 76 | 48 | 49 | 51 | 48 | 47 | 26 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 9 | — | — | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 36 | 183 | 36 | 36 | 135 | 17 | 36 | 76 | 0 | 36 | 76 | 4 | 27 | 76 | 17 | 36 | 91 | 36 | 36 | 104 | 17 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Huntington Cliffs Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Huntington Cliffs provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Huntington Cliffs can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Huntington Cliffs 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 (Huntington Cliffs) 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 Huntington Cliffs 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.
Huntington Cliffs is 6 km (4 miles) from the city of Huntington Beach. If you plan a vacation in Orange County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Huntington Beach. Huntington Beach has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










