
Surf Forecasts:
Jalama surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 30 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, NW swell with 1,134 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 30 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Jalama this week:
The surf forecast for Jalama over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 30) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 1.7m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Jalama in the next 16 days are 2.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 06) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 30th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 30th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Jalama over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Jalama’s got cookin’ for us over the next couple weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the first few days are a bit of a battle. The wind is just not playin’ nice. Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st are stuck with a cross-shore breeze messin’ up what would otherwise be a fun little NW swell runnin’ around 6ft to 6ft. Wave energy’s strong, sittin’ around 1195 to 1203 on Thursday, but it’s choppy and the scores are low. The water temp’s about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. You’ll want to wait for a better window if you can.
Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd are still pretty average. The swell holds around 7ft to 8ft from the NW, period’s short at 8 to 9 seconds, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-off. Energy’s still solid, in the 830 to 1268 range, but it’s not clean enough to get excited about. At 8ft on Sunday, that’s pushin’ into swell that’s only really suited for the experienced crew – beginners should sit this one out.
Now, here’s where it gets a bit more interesting. Monday the 3rd of August – that’s your standout morning. We’ve got a nice clean 8ft NW groundswell with a period of 10 seconds, and the wind goes light with a WNW cross-on breeze. Wave energy jumps to 2157 – that’s significant. It’s still a touch onshore, but with such light wind, the ripples are tiny, and the swell has some real grunt. This is the best look of the whole period – but it’s still a couple days out, so keep an eye on it.
The rest of the first week fades pretty quickly. Monday afternoon drops off, and Tuesday through Wednesday morning the swell shrinks to 4ft to 6ft, with energy fallin’ fast. By Thursday the 6th, you’re lookin’ at 4ft and weaker, poor conditions. That stretch from the 4th to the 6th is a write-off for quality.
Then things go small and weird. From Friday the 7th through to Wednesday the 12th, we get a switch to a very long-period SSW groundswell – periods of 14 to 19 seconds – but heights are tiny, just 2ft to 5ft. That long-period energy (around 500 to 800 on the energy scale) is there, but it’s supposed to be a beach break, and long-period swells like that tend to jack up and close out. Wind is mostly cross or cross-on, so it’s not gonna be pretty. The morning of the 10th has a little puff of 5ft NW with light offshore wind, and that’s a faint glimmer, but nothin’ to write home about.
The last few days – Thursday the 13th, Friday the 14th – are just flat and weak. Swell barely breaks 3ft from the SW, with low energy and messy wind.
So, the takeaway: the clear standout is Monday the 3rd of August (morning) – that’s your best chance at some decent size and reasonable conditions. After that, there’s a long stretch of small, messy surf. Jalama’s a consistent spot, but this run has a real gap in quality from the 4th right through to the 14th. Don’t expect much till that next pulse comes in.
Stay tuned, forecasts change.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun morning, min 14°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
424 | 418 | 655 | 434 | 388 | 742 | 589 | 624 | 1134 | 993 | 904 | 1069 | 910 | 932 | 665 | 597 | 546 | 416 | 266 | 230 | 235 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:57AM1.55m | 10:44PM2.07m | 12:23PM1.60m | 11:19PM1.96m | 12:49PM1.66m | 11:58PM1.81m | 1:17PM1.72m | 00:42AM1.62m | 1:48PM1.79m | 1:40AM1.43m | 2:26PM1.85m | 3:05AM1.26m | 3:14PM1.92m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:40PM1.06m | 5:50AM0.29m | 5:23PM1.03m | 6:16AM0.38m | 6:10PM1.00m | 6:41AM0.51m | 7:05PM0.96m | 7:05AM0.65m | 8:11PM0.90m | 7:32AM0.80m | 9:31PM0.82m | 8:03AM0.94m | 11:01PM0.68m | ||||||||
6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | |
— | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 16 | 23 | 23 | 16 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 19 | 17 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 12 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 8 | SSW 15 | S 14 | NW 8 | S 12 | S 11 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 13 | NW 9 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 10 |
418 | 392 | 338 | 434 | 297 | 85 | 215 | 187 | 77 | 46 | 69 | 854 | 910 | 769 | 665 | 597 | 546 | 416 | 266 | 230 | 235 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | S 13 | SW 14 | S 13 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | S 12 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
424 | 249 | 157 | 413 | 103 | 125 | 58 | 70 | 91 | 91 | 44 | 67 | 44 | 41 | 37 | 80 | 77 | 99 | 72 | 71 | 97 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | — | SW 14 | SW 20 | SW 19 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 9 | S 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 11 | S 13 | SW 11 | SSW 20 |
326 | 106 | 104 | 104 | — | 100 | 15 | 15 | 32 | 29 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 66 | 89 | 36 | 36 | 9 | 30 | 19 | 37 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 8 | NW 8 | — | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | — | NW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 |
— | 418 | 655 | — | 388 | 742 | 589 | 624 | 1134 | 993 | 904 | 1069 | — | 932 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 220 | 61 | 9 | 9 | 36 | 19 | 61 | 36 | 16 | 202 | 95 | 16 | 9 | 61 | 0 | 71 | 9 | 0 | 177 | 9 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
Information about the Jalama Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Jalama provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Jalama can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Jalama 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 (Jalama) 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 Jalama 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.
Jalama is 15 km (9 miles) from Lompoc. If you plan a vacation in Santa Barbara, look for hotels and other accommodation in Lompoc. Lompoc has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











