Surf Forecasts:
Moonlight Beach surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s period, SSW swell with 832 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 14s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Moonlight Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Moonlight Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Moonlight Beach in the next 16 days are 1.3m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 8PM. 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 (Sun 9th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Moonlight Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, crew, Rusty here. Let's cut to the chase: this forecast for Moonlight Beach is a grind. We're looking at a solid two weeks of mostly poor surf. The water is warm, though, sitting at a toasty 76°F, which is a good 8°F warmer than usual. So at least you won't be cold while you're waiting for nothing.
The first stretch, from Sunday the 9th through the 13th, is a complete bust. The swell is tiny, 2ft to 3ft, and the energy is weak (307-473). It's mostly cross-onshore breezes, which will chop up the little bumps that are there. You'd be surfing whitewater. Not worth the paddle.
Things look like they might stir a little starting Thursday the 14th. The wave height stays small (3ft to 4ft), but the period stretches out to 16-18 seconds – that's proper groundswell. The energy also climbs into a moderate range (580-750). The forecast still says it's marginal, but with light winds, this could be your only real window. It won't be firing, but there might be a couple of clean, small waves if you're patient.
Your best bet is the afternoon of Saturday the 15th. That's when we see the biggest swell of the period at 4ft from the SSW, with that long 16-second period. The energy is at its peak (750). The wind is cross-on but light, so it might shape up okay. It's a beginner spot, and 4ft is still on the manageable side, but a long-period swell like this can make a beach break close out. This is your one shot.
From Sunday the 16th onwards, it's back to the same old story. The swell fades to 3ft or less, and while the energy stays moderate, the quality is poor. The period stays long, but the waves are inconsistent and small. There's a weird 0.7ft swell on the 22nd with a 21-second period, but that's just too long and weak to do anything with.
So here it is: there's one day that looks like it might offer a few rides, and that’s Saturday the 15th. The rest of the time, save your energy. This spot is inconsistent, and a run like this isn't rare. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, it's a flat, frustrating outlook. Don't get too worked up about it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sun morning, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed morning, min 19°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 246 | 305 | 297 | 207 | 186 | 184 | 129 | 319 | 316 | 230 | 264 | 306 | 255 | 358 | 335 | 292 | 404 | 798 | 417 | 683 | 657 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:30AM1.50m | 7:02PM2.36m | 9:05AM1.60m | 7:56PM2.46m | 9:39AM1.70m | 8:45PM2.49m | 10:13AM1.79m | 9:31PM2.43m | 10:46AM1.87m | 10:16PM2.30m | 11:19AM1.93m | 11:00PM2.09m | 11:52AM1.96m | 11:45PM1.85m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:40PM1.15m | 2:29AM0.02m | 1:40PM1.04m | 3:10AM-0.05m | 2:33PM0.92m | 3:48AM-0.05m | 3:23PM0.82m | 4:24AM0.03m | 4:11PM0.75m | 4:58AM0.17m | 5:00PM0.72m | 5:29AM0.35m | 5:51PM0.72m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | |  | | | | |  | |
 | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 21 |
Feels °C | 26 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 246 | 305 | 297 | 207 | 139 | 137 | 129 | 319 | 316 | 230 | 264 | 306 | 255 | 358 | 335 | 251 | 404 | 798 | 417 | 683 | 657 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | W 5 | W 4 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 18 | SW 14 | S 12 | SW 14 | S 11 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 14 | 14 | 6 | 103 | 186 | 184 | 114 | 49 | 47 | 61 | 61 | 59 | 60 | 59 | 61 | 292 | 251 | 43 | 191 | 21 | 87 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | W 4 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 13 | S 13 | S 12 | W 9 | W 9 | SSW 21 | SSW 20 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 9 | SW 11 | W 11 | SW 9 |
| kJ | 47 | 30 | 30 | 3 | 39 | 33 | 74 | 75 | 45 | 50 | 47 | 6 | 13 | 44 | 149 | 37 | 61 | 16 | 29 | 10 | 13 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 4 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | — | — | W 8 | — | — | WNW 8 | WNW 3 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 | WNW 4 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | — | 12 | — | — | 19 | 3 | 26 | 36 | 7 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 47 | 47 | 1 | 47 | 47 | 1 | 47 | 47 | 13 | 47 | 47 | 1 | 128 | 47 | 1 | 46 | 46 | 7 | 46 | 46 | 31 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego 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)
Latest Updates
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 Moonlight Beach 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 Moonlight Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Moonlight Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Moonlight Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Moonlight Beach 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 (Moonlight Beach) 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 Moonlight Beach 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.
Moonlight Beach is 6 km (4 miles) from the city of Encinitas. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Encinitas. Encinitas has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest