Pescaderos Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.41° N 119.86° W

Pescaderos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 10 am 17 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pescaderos sea temperature is
20.9° C
3.6° 

Pescaderos surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Pescaderos surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period, SSW swell with 191 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s period with SSW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Pescaderos this week:

The surf forecast for Pescaderos over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 18s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Pescaderos in the next 16 days are 0.6m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Mon 17th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 14s
Best Surf 2AM (Wed 19th Aug)4.5ft (1.3m) 6s
Most Powerful 2PM (Wed 19th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pescaderos over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, surf's up... well, sort of. Let me level with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for any real waves around here. We've got a long stretch of tiny, weak surf, and honestly, most of the time it's not going to be worth paddling out for unless you're beyond desperate for a slide. This is one of those classic flat spells for the region, and it's going to drag on for the better part of a week and a half.

The water's a balmy 70°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year. That's a bit of a treat, but it doesn't make up for the lack of swell.

Looking at the start of the period, Monday the 17th has the best of a bad bunch. We're looking at a small 2ft SSW groundswell with a solid 15-second period, and the energy is weak to moderate at 199. Pescaderos will be pretty gutless, but the light cross-shore wind won't totally ruin it. By the afternoon, the wind will go a bit more cross-off, cleaning it up, and the swell holds at 2ft. It's still small, and I'd call it ordinary at best, but it's the most surfable it's going to be for a while. The swell direction is from the SSW, which is a bit off the optimum for this spot.

Then we hit a major drought. From Tuesday the 18th all the way through to Friday the 29th, the forecast is just bad. The waves drop off to nothing, the swell energy gets weak, and there's really nothing to get excited about. We're talking about a couple of weeks of knee-high slop and junky conditions. The wind is mostly light, but it's cross-shore, so it just messes with what little texture there is. You'll see the swell period get long at times, like on Sunday the 23rd with an 18-19 second swell, but the height is only 1ft. All that long-period energy and nowhere to go. It's just one of those stretches where the ocean is taking a holiday. Pescaderos is fairly consistent, but it's just not breaking with any power.

There is a slight pulse late in the window. Around the 30th of August and the 1st of September, the swell fills in a touch more, showing 2-3ft and then 3-3ft. The energy is still weak to moderate, with the combined energy reading around 348 (strongest of the period) on the 30th morning. But it's a short-period, weaker wind swell by then, with the period dropping to 8 seconds on the 1st. It'll be more of a bump than a wave. The wind is also looking iffy, with more onshore flow in the morning and a better cross-off in the afternoon. It's a marginal call, and over a week away, so you've got to take it with a grain of salt. It's promising that we're seeing some energy, but the quality is going to be a big question mark.

So, bottom line: if you are absolutely jonesing, the early part of Monday the 17th is as good as it gets, and even that is a stretch. The surf is not too big for anyone, but it's just too small for anyone to bother with. We're in for a long, flat spell, but that's the nature of this place. Forecasts can change, so I wouldn't sell the surfboard just yet, but plan for a lot of free time.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 21°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
1
0
1
2
1
1
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.7
SSW
15
0.7
SSW
14
0.6
SSW
14
0.4
S
16
0.5
SSW
16
1.3
WNW
6
0.6
SSW
15
0.6
SSW
16
0.5
SSW
14
0.5
SSW
14
0.5
SSW
14
0.5
SSW
14
0.4
SSW
13
0.4
SSW
13
0.4
SSW
13
0.6
WNW
9
0.3
SSW
15
0.4
SSW
15
0.4
SW
19
0.4
SW
18
0.4
SW
18
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
188
186
140
80
153
125
186
164
110
118
120
115
59
58
57
58
42
75
89
79
112
Wind (km/h)
10
WSW
15
W
5
NW
10
WSW
10
WSW
5
NW
10
SW
10
WSW
5
E
5
SW
5
WSW
5
E
5
S
10
WSW
0
ENE
10
SW
10
WSW
5
E
10
SW
10
WSW
5
WNW
Wind State
cross
cross-off
off
cross
cross
glassy
cross
cross
glassy
glassy
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross
glassy
High Tide
1:40PM1.88m
2:25AM1.33m
2:22PM1.84m
4:21AM1.20m
3:14PM1.80m
4:21PM1.79m
8:37AM1.33m
5:31PM1.81m
8:55AM1.39m
6:29PM1.88m
9:13AM1.44m
7:17PM1.97m
Low Tide
8:36PM0.76m
7:28AM0.97m
10:00PM0.75m
7:51AM1.12m
11:30PM0.69m
00:43AM0.59m
10:39AM1.31m
1:34AM0.49m
12:14PM1.30m
2:13AM0.40m
1:10PM1.24m
2:46AM0.33m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:20
6:22
6:22
6:22
6:24
6:24
6:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:45
7:43
7:42
7:40
7:39
7:37
7:37
 mm
Temp °C
26
28
25
28
30
25
29
30
27
29
30
26
29
29
25
28
29
26
29
28
25
Feels °C
26
27
24
27
29
24
28
30
27
30
31
27
30
30
27
28
29
27
29
28
27
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Pescaderos:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Pescaderos 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 Pescaderos Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Pescaderos provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Pescaderos can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Pescaderos 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 (Pescaderos) 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 Pescaderos 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.

Pescaderos is 1 km (1 miles) from Isla Vista. If you plan a vacation in Santa Barbara, look for hotels and other accommodation in Isla Vista. Isla Vista has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest