Surf Forecasts:
Moonlight Beach surf forecast from 13 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 14s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period, S swell with 739 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 16s period with S 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 (Jul 12) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 14s. 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 1.7m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Friday (Jul 17) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Moonlight Beach over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
To be straight with you, we're in for a rough patch. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off. The surf we’ve got is small, and the wind is just not cooperating. Through to the middle of the month, the ocean is serving up tiny, weak waves and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, making a mess of what little there is. We’re looking at a long, dry spell until things start to show some life around the 22nd of July.
The Highlight
The best chance we’ve got looks like Wednesday, 22nd of July afternoon at Moonlight Beach. We’ll see a moderate 4 ft swell rolling in from the south-southeast, with a solid 15-second period. That’s groundswell, bringing some proper energy packed into it (energy reading: 1828). The real kicker is the wind: it’s light and cross-onshore, which is the best we’ll see. The water is going to feel much warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 71°F.
Thursday, 23rd of July is also worth keeping an eye on. The swell pushes up to 7 ft from the south, still with a decent 14-second period. The wind swings offshore, light from the west, which should really clean things up. That’s a solid amount of swell though, making it one for the experienced crew only. The wave energy is very strong (1806).
After that, into the final weekend of July and start of the following week, we’re back to small, messy surf with onshore winds. The Saturday morning, 25th, sees a 5 ft south-southwest swell, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy, so it’s not worth getting excited about.
So, the pick of the bunch is the light wind and building groundswell on the 22nd and 23rd. It’s a long time to wait, but that’s the only window of real promise on the cards.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Tue morning, min 19°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Wed morning, min 20°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 8 | W 9 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | S 16 | SSE 14 | S 13 | S 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 316 | 210 | 326 | 312 | 179 | 213 | 154 | 154 | 249 | 108 | 167 | 161 | 205 | 189 | 175 | 181 | 103 | 239 | 714 | 683 | 739 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 9:17AM1.52m | 7:59PM2.53m | 10:02AM1.59m | 8:50PM2.58m | 10:44AM1.65m | 9:40PM2.56m | 11:25AM1.71m | 10:28PM2.45m | 12:07PM1.76m | 11:16PM2.26m | 12:48PM1.80m | 00:05AM2.01m | 1:31PM1.84m | 00:58AM1.74m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:34PM1.09m | 3:26AM-0.11m | 2:30PM1.03m | 4:11AM-0.15m | 3:24PM0.98m | 4:54AM-0.11m | 4:18PM0.95m | 5:35AM-0.01m | 5:13PM0.93m | 6:15AM0.16m | 6:12PM0.94m | 6:52AM0.36m | 7:18PM0.95m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — |
 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 |
Feels °C | 22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 7 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | S 16 | SSE 14 | S 13 | S 11 |
| kJ | 316 | 210 | 326 | 312 | 179 | 213 | 154 | 93 | 133 | 61 | 94 | 111 | 205 | 189 | 138 | 82 | 48 | 239 | 714 | 683 | 739 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 15 | S 16 | SW 21 | SSW 13 | SW 19 | S 12 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | WNW 16 |
| kJ | 68 | 159 | 46 | 18 | 120 | 133 | 45 | 154 | 249 | 67 | 167 | 161 | 122 | 121 | 106 | 181 | 103 | 134 | 366 | 311 | 82 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | W 9 | SSW 21 | W 15 | SW 19 | S 12 | SW 19 | S 12 | W 4 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | S 4 | SW 18 | W 8 | WNW 16 | WNW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 15 | 14 | 45 | 4 | 96 | 25 | 57 | 75 | 3 | 108 | 83 | 73 | 47 | 46 | 175 | 5 | 83 | 33 | 87 | 84 | 91 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 9 | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | — | W 4 | WNW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 4 | S 4 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 15 | — | 8 | 8 | — | 1 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 47 | 47 | 38 | 47 | 46 | 46 | 246 | 46 | 3 | 47 | 47 | 25 | 113 | 113 | 13 | 128 | 128 | 1 | 47 | 47 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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