Surf Forecasts:
La Jolla Cove surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 9s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 17s period, SW swell with 560 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 17s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for La Jolla Cove this week:
The surf forecast for La Jolla Cove over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at La Jolla Cove in the next 16 days are 1.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 14s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for La Jolla Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into what’s on the table for La Jolla Cove over the next couple weeks. I’ll be straight with you: the first few days are pretty dead, nothing worth paddling out for. We’ve got a dry spell until the morning of Thursday, September 10th when things finally start to pick up.
That Thursday morning (September 10th) is where it gets interesting. The swell builds from the SW at around 3ft, with a solid 17-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy, giving us long, clean lines. Combined swell energy is at a moderate 577, and the wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW, making for glassy, clean conditions. Water temp is sitting at 72°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so a little spring suit might be all you need. This is beginner-friendly too – manageable size with that long period making paddling out easier. Best window of the whole period.
Thursday afternoon holds similar – same 3ft SW swell, light cross-offshore wind, clean surf. Keep it on your radar.
Friday (September 11th) still offers clean surf with cross-offshore wind, but the swell drops a fraction to 3ft and the period shortens to 15 seconds. Still rideable, but not quite the standout that Thursday was.
From Saturday (September 12th) onward, things get a bit messy. The swell shifts to the west and the period drops to 7 seconds – short-period windswell that’ll be lumpy and less inviting. By Sunday morning (September 13th), we see a bigger 6ft west swell, but it’s still short period (9 seconds) and there’s moderate cross-offshore wind. That size is pushing beyond beginner comfort, and the short period means it’ll be a bit crumbly. Not the best combo.
Into the second week, the outlook fades. Most days have small SW swell (2ft to 3ft) with poor onshore or cross-onshore winds and only marginal or poor surf conditions. There’s a bit of moderate combined energy (300-673) but the wind is never in our favour – mostly light cross-onshore from the west or WNW. Nothing to get excited about.
So, if you’re looking for the best surf in this window, lock in Thursday, September 10th – morning or afternoon – for clean, glassy waves at La Jolla Cove. It’s the true standout.
– Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Sun afternoon, calm by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed morning, min 21°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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 4 | NNW 4 | NW 4 | SW 19 | SW 19 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | SW 18 | WNW 5 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 20 | 32 | 25 | 58 | 57 | 16 | 13 | 111 | 24 | 214 | 330 | 419 | 540 | 496 | 483 | 465 | 360 | 309 | 138 | 178 | 422 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:01PM1.78m | 8:11AM1.26m | 7:02PM1.88m | 8:37AM1.37m | 7:53PM1.94m | 9:05AM1.48m | 8:38PM1.92m | 9:32AM1.58m | 9:21PM1.84m | 10:00AM1.66m | 10:03PM1.71m | 10:28AM1.70m | 10:44PM1.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:47AM0.90m | 1:30AM-0.14m | 12:54PM0.73m | 2:10AM-0.20m | 1:46PM0.55m | 2:45AM-0.20m | 2:32PM0.40m | 3:17AM-0.14m | 3:15PM0.27m | 3:47AM-0.04m | 3:58PM0.20m | 4:15AM0.11m | 4:40PM0.16m | 4:41AM0.28m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — |
 | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:59 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
Feels °C | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | W 7 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 1304 | 932 | 1512 | 1086 | 901 | 469 | 769 | 322 | 204 | 108 | 330 | 419 | 540 | 496 | 97 | 138 | 127 | 107 | 138 | 178 | 422 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 10 | SSW 16 | WSW 10 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | WNW 5 | SW 16 | SW 9 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 15 | 429 | 10 | 58 | 57 | 289 | 80 | 61 | 24 | 214 | 81 | 29 | 37 | 53 | 483 | 465 | 360 | 309 | 211 | 164 | 160 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 20 | SW 11 | NW 11 | W 10 | W 11 | SW 18 | SSW 21 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 5 | SW 8 | S 12 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 7 | S 8 | S 9 | WSW 14 | S 9 | S 9 |
| kJ | 15 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 82 | 44 | 111 | 135 | 133 | 19 | 43 | 72 | 32 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 40 | 14 | 13 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 4 | NNW 4 | NW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | — | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 7 | SW 7 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 20 | 32 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 16 | 13 | 14 | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 28 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 21 | 39 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 4 | 20 | 20 | 2 | 21 | 54 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 127 | 0 | 127 | 68 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the La Jolla Cove Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for La Jolla Cove provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at La Jolla Cove can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our La Jolla 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 (La Jolla 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 La Jolla 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.
La Jolla Cove is 10 km (6 miles) from San Diego. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in San Diego. San Diego has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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