Surf Forecasts:
Japs Cove surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 14s period, SSW swell with 500 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Japs Cove this week:
The surf forecast for Japs Cove over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Japs Cove in the next 16 days are 1.1m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Japs Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s be real about what’s shaping up for Japs Cove. This is a sheltered reef setup, takes a SSW swell, and it’s pretty inconsistent as a rule. Looking at the whole 16-day run, I gotta be honest – it’s a long, grim stretch. The first real chance for anything worth paddling out for doesn't show up until Thursday the 23rd of July, and even then, we’re just getting a sliver of hope.
Most of this run is a write-off. From now until the 22nd, the surf is just too weak or the wind’s mucking it up. The swell is tiny, mostly 1 ft to 2 ft, and it’s coming in from the SW or SSW, which is the right direction, but there’s no push behind it. The combined wave energy is weak, staying well under 300 for most of that first week. Winds are cross-onshore nearly every day, keeping it choppy and messy. Honestly, for an advanced spot that’s already inconsistent, this is a frustrating opening act.
The lone highlight in this whole forecast is Thursday afternoon, the 23rd of July. The wind goes glassy – dead calm – which at a place like Japs Cove is a gift. The swell bumps up to about 3 ft from the S, with a decent 14-second period. The combined energy pushes to 475, so there’s some moderate grunt in the water. With the wind off, those lines should clean up nicely. This is a short window, but for a reef that doesn’t fire often, this is your time to be there. It’s a Thursday though, so crowds are possible.
After that, we slide back into junk. Friday the 24th sees a spike in swell (about 4 ft, 15 secs, energy 882) but the wind swings cross-onshore again, ruining it. The weekend of the 25th/26th has some size – up to 5 ft – but it’s messy, cross-onshore, and the period drops off. It’s just not clean enough for this finicky reef break. By the time we get to the end of July, it’s back to tiny, weak, and onshore.
So, the call is simple: don’t even think about it until the afternoon of July 23rd. For those few hours, if you’re an advanced surfer who knows this ledge, it’s the only standout in the whole two weeks. The rest is a waiting game.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed night, min 19°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Mon afternoon, min 19°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wed 22 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 17 | S 15 | S 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 90 | 89 | 88 | 91 | 94 | 74 | 76 | 246 | 201 | 154 | 418 | 357 | 291 | 323 | 469 | 192 | 322 | 201 | 358 | 186 | 183 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:35PM2.45m | 12:17PM1.75m | 11:24PM2.25m | 12:59PM1.80m | 00:13AM2.00m | 1:41PM1.84m | 1:07AM1.73m | 2:25PM1.86m | 2:13AM1.47m | 3:12PM1.88m | 3:49AM1.29m | 4:02PM1.89m | 6:02AM1.23m | 4:55PM1.91m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:44AM-0.01m | 5:21PM0.95m | 6:24AM0.16m | 6:21PM0.96m | 7:01AM0.36m | 7:28PM0.96m | 7:37AM0.58m | 8:47PM0.94m | 8:12AM0.79m | 10:17PM0.88m | 8:50AM0.98m | 11:45PM0.76m | 9:39AM1.13m | ||||||||
 | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — |
 | 8:04 | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
Feels °C | 23 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 7 | W 10 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 13 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | W 6 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 30 | 47 | 66 | 26 | 21 | 21 | 76 | 246 | 201 | 126 | 418 | 357 | 212 | 323 | 469 | 192 | 322 | 201 | 75 | 186 | 183 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 6 | WSW 6 | S 12 | S 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SSW 15 | W 5 | SSW 20 | W 5 | W 5 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | W 6 | S 14 |
| kJ | 90 | 89 | 88 | 55 | 54 | 74 | 11 | 11 | 47 | 154 | 188 | 243 | 291 | 8 | 37 | 28 | 20 | 107 | 358 | 35 | 97 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | W 17 | S 12 | W 5 | W 5 | W 6 | SSW 17 | W 6 | W 14 | W 14 | SSW 16 | S 10 | SSE 16 | SSE 13 | SSE 14 | SW 8 |
| kJ | 28 | 28 | 14 | 91 | 94 | 51 | 22 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 96 | 30 | 16 | 16 | 175 | 49 | 24 | 35 | 70 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 3 | — | SE 2 | SE 3 | SSE 3 | SE 4 | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | W 5 |
| kJ | — | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | 8 | — | — | 18 | — | — | 18 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 51 | 11 | 11 | 73 | 11 | 10 | 73 | 9 | 11 | 127 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Los Angeles County | |||||||||||||||||||||
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)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Japs Cove 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 Japs Cove Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Japs Cove provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Japs Cove can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Japs Cove 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 (Japs Cove) 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 Japs Cove 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.
Japs Cove is 5 km (3 miles) from Rancho Palos Verdes. If you plan a vacation in Los Angeles County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Rancho Palos Verdes. Rancho Palos Verdes has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest