Surf Forecasts:
Morro Rock surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 8s period, NW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, NW swell with 836 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 16 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Morro Rock this week:
The surf forecast for Morro Rock over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Morro Rock in the next 16 days are 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 17s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Morro Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: it’s a tough run coming up at Morro Rock. We’ve got a long stretch of onshore winds and messy energy that’s going to keep things frustrating for paddle surfing. The water is sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing whilst you’re getting disappointed.
Right out of the gate, Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are a write-off – tiny swell under 3 ft and onshore breezes. You’d be better off taking the weekend off. We then hit a gap of a few days with nothing really worth paddling out for. Monday the 17th sees a bump in size to 5 ft in the afternoon, but the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind is a moderate onshore at 12 mph, making for a bumpy, gutless mess.
The first time we get any kind of size worth mentioning is Tuesday morning the 18th, with a 7 ft swell from the NW at 8 seconds. The combined energy hits 772 (moderate), so there’s some push, but the wind is a cross-onshore and it’s going to be fairly choppy. It's marginal at best.
The pattern stays pretty grim through the rest of the week. Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th keep churning out 6 ft to 7 ft swell, but with short periods and onshore winds. The energy is moderate (445–609), but the quality is just not there for a good session.
By the time we get to the following week, from Monday the 24th onward, the swell drops right back down to 2 ft to 2 ft, but look – we get a very long period groundswell coming from the SW at 16 to 18 seconds. That’s a beautiful sign for a point break or reef, but at a spot like Morro Rock with the wind mostly onshore or cross-onshore, it’s going to be a whole lot of nothing happening. Energy is still moderate (206-336), but with that tiny height and a long period, it’ll be slow and difficult to catch on a beach setup.
In the last few days, Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th see a slight bump in size, but the period drops back to a weak 6 seconds. Energy is low to moderate (75-270) and the wind is again onshore or cross-onshore. There is simply no standout day in this entire 16-day window. The setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than someone on a paddle board. Honestly, for a beginner, anything over 5 ft starts to get big, and over 8 ft is expert-only, but here it’s all just blown out.
The best we can say is Sunday the 30th morning has a 5 ft swell with a 10-second period and light onshore wind (6 mph), combined energy of 458 (moderate), but it’s still onshore. It’s the least bad of a bad bunch. That’s all we’ve got.
Keep your hopes up, though – forecasts change, and it tends not to stay this poor for long.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed morning, min 19°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 7 | SW 13 | NW 6 | WNW 10 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
27 | 62 | 95 | 20 | 30 | 30 | 39 | 162 | 478 | 516 | 387 | 530 | 266 | 183 | 226 | 382 | 440 | 256 | 349 | 163 | 530 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 12:55PM1.51m | 00:48AM1.46m | 1:30PM1.51m | 1:37AM1.23m | 2:06PM1.49m | 2:39AM1.01m | 2:48PM1.44m | 4:26AM0.86m | 3:43PM1.40m | 4:58PM1.38m | 9:20AM0.98m | 6:17PM1.42m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 6:52PM0.36m | 7:04AM0.20m | 7:46PM0.39m | 7:32AM0.40m | 8:51PM0.43m | 7:58AM0.59m | 10:17PM0.45m | 8:20AM0.75m | 00:02AM0.40m | 1:25AM0.29m | 11:31AM0.96m | 2:18AM0.17m | |||||||||
6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 15 | 21 | 22 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 27 | 27 | 20 | 26 | 26 | 20 | 27 | 26 | 21 |
Feels °C | 20 | 19 | 14 | 21 | 21 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 26 | 26 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 27 | 25 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 11 | WNW 8 |
499 | 493 | 620 | 506 | 455 | 443 | 334 | 330 | 218 | 256 | 302 | 226 | 132 | 348 | 226 | 153 | 236 | 256 | 144 | 64 | 256 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | SW 13 | WNW 6 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | S 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | WNW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SSW 14 | WNW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
27 | 62 | 49 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 7 | 268 | 397 | 96 | 285 | 348 | 68 | 259 | 236 | 14 | 183 | 90 | 99 | 99 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | — | SSW 18 | S 10 | WNW 13 | WNW 15 | NW 14 | SW 21 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | S 11 | WNW 12 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | S 16 |
44 | 33 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 9 | 8 | — | 62 | 2 | 17 | 21 | 47 | 18 | 87 | 74 | 2 | 77 | 102 | 49 | 21 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 5 | NW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | — | NW 8 | WNW 7 | — | NW 7 | WNW 7 | NW 8 |
— | 33 | 95 | 20 | 30 | 30 | 39 | 162 | 478 | 516 | 387 | 530 | 266 | 183 | — | 382 | 440 | — | 349 | 163 | 530 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 305 | 144 | 0 | 144 | 123 | 4 | 123 | 126 | 4 | 114 | 115 | 4 | 112 | 144 | 0 | 112 | 114 | 0 | 112 | 144 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Luis Obispo | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Morro Rock Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Morro Rock provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Morro Rock can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Morro Rock 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 (Morro Rock) 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 Morro Rock 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.
Morro Rock is 21 km (13 miles) from Atascadero. If you plan a vacation in San Luis Obispo, look for hotels and other accommodation in Atascadero. Atascadero has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











