Surf Forecasts:
Moonlight Beach surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 21s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 31 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 14s period, S swell with 1,977 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 24 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 22s 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 Friday (Jul 24) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 22s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 7s is also forecast. 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 2.2m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 31) 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+) | 11PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 22s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Fri 31st Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Moonlight Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a slow burner, so settle in.
The immediate outlook is pretty quiet to be honest. The first few days are a bit of a write-off. We've got a bit of a wait on our hands.
Moonlight Beach is the only spot in the game, and it's frustratingly inconsistent. The water is a whopping 74°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a real standout.
Friday afternoon the 24th kicks things off with a tiny 2ft SSW swell, but it's got a super long 24-second period, which is a proper groundswell. The energy is moderate (664). The problem is, it's a cross-on breeze, so it's not going to be clean. It's really just a marginal session.
Saturday the 25th to Monday the 27th of July is a bit of a grind. The swell bumps up a touch, with Saturday morning seeing 3ft SSW (924 energy), and by Monday morning we're at 4ft SSW with a strong 18-second period and strong energy (1167). But all of this is under a cross-on wind, which is going to keep things choppy at best. It's a shame, because this long-period groundswell would be better suited to a point or reef, but it's a beach break, so it'll likely be a bit wonky.
The stand-out moment looks like it arrives on Friday the 31st of July. We get a jump in size to 7ft S swell with a 14-second period. The energy is very strong (1642). The wind also goes directly onshore, which is a bummer, and at 7ft it's getting into the territory that's too big for beginners. With the onshore wind, it's going to be a messy, blown-out mess. Honestly, for a beach break, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
From Saturday the 1st of August, the swell starts to fade quickly. We're back to 6ft on Saturday morning, but the period drops to 13 seconds, and the energy is still moderate (1171). The cross-on wind returns. After that, it's a steady decline into tiny, weak, and poor surf for the rest of the forecast period. By the 2nd of August, we are looking at 3ft and dropping, with energy falling to 370. The 6th and 7th of August are just flat with 2ft and 2ft weak swells.
So, the honest truth is, there's no true standout here. The best of a bad bunch is probably the 31st of July, but the onshore wind messes it up. If you're desperate, Monday the 27th of July offers the best combo of size and period, but it's still cross-on. The rest of the run is a drought. It's a blank run, and for this area, it's not that unusual to have a spell like this. Forecasts can change though.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sat afternoon, min 20°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon afternoon, min 20°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | ||||||||||||||
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 24 | SSW 21 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSE 14 | S 16 | S 15 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 368 | 799 | 799 | 628 | 1100 | 863 | 735 | 799 | 1056 | 1153 | 780 | 1133 | 919 | 926 | 612 | 724 | 604 | 485 | 520 | 1847 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 6:30PM2.00m | 9:02AM1.44m | 7:14PM2.07m | 9:28AM1.49m | 7:53PM2.15m | 9:53AM1.52m | 8:29PM2.22m | 10:18AM1.56m | 9:04PM2.25m | 10:43AM1.59m | 9:37PM2.24m | 11:08AM1.64m | 10:10PM2.18m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:10AM0.40m | 12:56PM1.23m | 2:45AM0.31m | 1:39PM1.18m | 3:16AM0.24m | 2:17PM1.12m | 3:47AM0.20m | 2:52PM1.07m | 4:15AM0.19m | 3:28PM1.02m | 4:43AM0.21m | 4:04PM0.99m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — |
 | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
Feels °C | 23 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 21 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSE 14 | S 13 | S 15 |
| kJ | 217 | 799 | 799 | 628 | 1100 | 863 | 735 | 799 | 1056 | 1153 | 780 | 1133 | 919 | 926 | 612 | 724 | 604 | 485 | 366 | 1847 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | SSW 11 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSW 15 | S 16 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 79 | 135 | 45 | 43 | 35 | 62 | 49 | 36 | 96 | 72 | 49 | 86 | 68 | 52 | 70 | 231 | 456 | 439 | 520 | 138 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 24 | W 6 | SSW 10 | S 10 | S 12 | SSW 11 | S 10 | SW 11 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SW 12 | S 10 | S 19 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | W 8 | W 7 | S 18 | SSW 15 | W 7 |
| kJ | 368 | 41 | 80 | 48 | 99 | 50 | 18 | 31 | 15 | 8 | 34 | 8 | 188 | 46 | 179 | 55 | 35 | 152 | 334 | 28 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 47 | 1 | 128 | 47 | 1 | 113 | 190 | 25 | 25 | 94 | 13 | 25 | 190 | 25 | 94 | 25 | 13 | 113 | 47 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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