Surf Forecasts:
Moonlight Beach surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 17s period, SSW swell with 1,120 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s 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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 16s. 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 1.4m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 2PM. 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+) | 2AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Moonlight Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a pretty lean run ahead for Moonlight Beach. The first half of the window is a write-off, so don’t even bother waxing up until the second week. The water is a toasty 75°, which is way warmer than normal for this time of year — feels like a bathtub out there.
The best we’re looking at is on Wednesday, August 12. A new pulse of SW swell shows up, pushing in at 3 ft from the SSW with a very long period of 18 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, and it’ll have some grunt behind it, with combined wave energy sitting at 576 (moderate). The wind is light and cross-on from the WSW at 6 mph, so it’ll be a little bumpy but not blown out. Because it’s a beach break, that long period might make the waves a bit straight and tricky, but it’ll still be the best we’ve seen in a while. The morning session looks the cleanest.
Before that, from Tuesday, July 28 right through to Monday, August 11, it’s a depressing stretch. Lots of cross-on and onshore winds, swell heights mostly under 3 ft, and all the energy readings are weak — we’re talking values below 350 most days. The few days around July 30 and 31 have a little more size (5 ft to 5 ft) but it’s onshore wind and the wave comment calls it marginal at best. Beginners should stay out of the water those days; it’s bumpy and not welcoming.
Honestly, for kite surfers, the consistent cross-on breezes and that 5 ft+ swell on July 30–31 might be more interesting than for paddle surfing. For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game.
So, the standout here is the morning of Wednesday, August 12 at Moonlight Beach. It’s not perfect, but it’s the only half-decent window in the whole 16 days. Keep your expectations low, and you might get a couple of fun ones.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Thu morning, min 20°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sat morning, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 13 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1133 | 919 | 938 | 612 | 612 | 499 | 411 | 918 | 1057 | 905 | 775 | 703 | 585 | 366 | 116 | 89 | 87 | 83 | 80 | 91 | 91 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 10:18AM1.56m | 9:04PM2.25m | 10:43AM1.59m | 9:37PM2.24m | 11:08AM1.64m | 10:10PM2.18m | 11:34AM1.68m | 10:43PM2.07m | 12:00PM1.73m | 11:19PM1.91m | 12:28PM1.79m | 11:59PM1.72m | 1:00PM1.85m | 00:51AM1.51m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:52PM1.07m | 4:15AM0.19m | 3:28PM1.02m | 4:43AM0.21m | 4:04PM0.99m | 5:09AM0.27m | 4:43PM0.97m | 5:33AM0.36m | 5:26PM0.95m | 5:57AM0.49m | 6:16PM0.93m | 6:22AM0.63m | 7:17PM0.90m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — |
 | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 22 |
Feels °C | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | W 7 | W 8 | W 9 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 |
| kJ | 1133 | 919 | 938 | 612 | 612 | 449 | 411 | 918 | 1057 | 905 | 775 | 703 | 585 | 366 | 116 | 48 | 64 | 73 | 48 | 45 | 27 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | SSE 16 | S 15 | S 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 79 | 44 | 341 | 435 | 417 | 499 | 358 | 34 | 25 | 39 | 43 | 42 | 47 | 47 | 33 | 54 | 43 | 83 | 80 | 82 | 91 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 17 | S 19 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | S 16 | W 7 | S 9 | — | — | SW 21 | SW 20 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 16 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 28 | 188 | 46 | 64 | 49 | 23 | 176 | 36 | 43 | — | — | 18 | 15 | 55 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 46 | 23 | 91 | 53 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 25 | 245 | 2 | 113 | 190 | 3 | 47 | 47 | 1 | 47 | 47 | 1 | 47 | 47 | 44 | 128 | 182 | 3 | 128 | 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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