
Surf Forecasts:
Pescaderos surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 21s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 19s period, SSW swell with 480 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 12s period with S 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 (Jul 20) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Pescaderos in the next 16 days are 0.8m 19s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pescaderos over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a slow start. The surf is small and pretty average for the first week, so don’t get your hopes up too early. The real standout window is going to be the weekend of the 26th and 27th of July, and then again on the 1st of August.
Pescaderos is the only spot in the game, and it’s a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent break, exposed to the WSW. The water temp is sitting at 67°, which is a whopping 5° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a very unusual, warm bath.
The rest of the first week, from Sunday the 19th through to Friday the 24th of July, is mostly a write-off. Swell is tiny, between 2ft and 3ft, with a mix of cross and cross-off winds. The energy is weak (470 in the afternoon on the 19th) and the guidance says it’s marginal. Not worth getting wet for.
The first real glimpse of anything decent comes on Saturday the 25th of July. The afternoon shows a cleaner 2ft swell from the SSW with a very long period of 21 seconds and a light cross breeze. The energy is up there (771), but it’s still small. The long period will make it a bit more lined up, but for a beach break, it might be a bit straight.
The pick of the bunch is the morning of Monday the 27th of July. We’ve got 3ft of SSW swell, with an 18-second period and light cross winds. The energy is strong (781). This is the best combination of size, period, and clean conditions we see for a while. It’s not huge, but it’s the most promising. The afternoon on the 27th is nearly as good with 3ft and similar clean conditions.
After that, the 28th of July sees a shift in swell direction to the WNW, but the period drops to 9 seconds. The 29th has a bit more size (4ft) but the wind is onshore in the morning and the period is short. The 30th of July fades back to small.
The next real highlight is Saturday the 1st of August. The afternoon session looks clean, with 4ft of S swell, a 13-second period, and light cross-off winds. The energy is solid (518). This is a good, clean swell for the more confident beginners. By the 2nd of August, the energy drops off a cliff and we’re back to small, weak waves.
So, to sum it up: don’t bother with the first week. The best bet is the morning of the 27th of July for the cleanest, longest-period swell, and the afternoon of the 1st of August for a bit more size and clean conditions. Pescaderos won’t be crowded, but it can get a few people on it sometimes.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 33°C on Thu afternoon, min 22°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 17 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 16 | SSW 13 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | S 12 | SSW 24 | S 13 | SW 21 | SSW 21 | SSW 21 | SSW 19 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
238 | 180 | 163 | 122 | 99 | 236 | 252 | 160 | 218 | 215 | 160 | 210 | 181 | 146 | 368 | 229 | 368 | 404 | 288 | 480 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross | cross | off |
High Tide | 2:53PM1.83m | 2:44AM1.43m | 3:39PM1.86m | 4:21AM1.26m | 4:27PM1.87m | 6:26AM1.22m | 5:17PM1.89m | 8:06AM1.27m | 6:06PM1.92m | 9:02AM1.34m | 6:53PM1.97m | 9:37AM1.39m | 7:36PM2.03m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:18PM0.91m | 8:40AM0.77m | 10:46PM0.83m | 9:19AM0.96m | 00:07AM0.71m | 10:07AM1.11m | 1:11AM0.58m | 11:12AM1.20m | 1:59AM0.47m | 12:20PM1.24m | 2:39AM0.37m | 1:15PM1.23m | 3:14AM0.29m | |||||||
— | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | |
8:09 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 27 | 30 | 33 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 27 |
Feels °C | 26 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 23 | 29 | 31 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 30 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | WNW 5 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | WNW 7 | S 12 | WNW 7 |
141 | 180 | 163 | 116 | 24 | 236 | 252 | 160 | 218 | 215 | 160 | 210 | 181 | 146 | 212 | 229 | 202 | 60 | 196 | 72 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 13 | S 10 | SSW 12 | S 15 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 6 | SSE 11 | SW 21 | S 12 | SSW 21 | SSW 19 |
238 | 125 | 118 | 122 | 99 | 48 | 109 | 112 | 22 | 11 | 52 | 127 | 104 | 69 | 40 | 39 | 368 | 184 | 288 | 480 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 15 | WNW 15 | WNW 4 | WNW 14 | S 10 | S 16 | WNW 13 | SSW 9 | WNW 13 | SW 20 | SSW 7 | SW 18 | SW 26 | SW 18 | SSW 24 | SW 24 | SW 16 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SSW 12 |
91 | 73 | 6 | 69 | 49 | 127 | 34 | 26 | 16 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 105 | 49 | 368 | 141 | 10 | 404 | 214 | 147 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | WNW 4 | — | W 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | W 6 | WNW 6 | — | WNW 7 | WNW 6 |
18 | 15 | — | 8 | 36 | 10 | 37 | 50 | 29 | 143 | 92 | 44 | 154 | 104 | 42 | 62 | 119 | — | 73 | 71 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










