
Surf Forecasts:
Pescaderos surf forecast from 9 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period, WNW swell with 395 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period with WNW 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 Thursday (Jul 09) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m 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 1.6m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) 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 1.6m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pescaderos over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, it’s been a pretty quiet stretch until now, but we’re starting to see a little pulse of energy coming through. The first week or so is mostly small and marginal, but there’s a window that shapes up nicely around the middle of the month. Let’s run through it day by day.
Right now, the surf is pretty small. Thursday and Friday mornings are offering up waist-high sets from the WNW, around 3ft to 4ft, but the wind is cross or cross-on, and the water is about average for this time of year. The combined energy is moderate (480-483), but the conditions are just not clean enough to get excited about. Saturday morning is still small, but by Saturday afternoon the wind drops to glassy, and you get a tiny 2ft SSW swell with a nice long 14-second period. It’s weak (189), but glassy conditions make it worth a paddle if you’re desperate. Sunday and Monday mornings are glassy again with tiny 2ft SSW swell, but it’s nothing to write home about. Tuesday morning sees a bit more size – 3ft from the WNW with glassy conditions, and the energy picks up to 201. Still pretty ordinary, but a small window for a fun little session.
The middle of the week – Wednesday and Thursday – sees the swell push a little more, with 4ft to 5ft WNW swell, but the wind stays cross-shore and the energy is moderate (309-443). Not terrible, but not great either.
Then we get a real standout. On Saturday, July 18th, the morning looks the business. The swell drops to 3ft but it’s from the SSE with a very long 15-second period, and the wind is glassy. The combined energy jumps to 510 – that’s solid moderate energy, and it’s the best we’ve seen all month. Expect clean, lined-up waves, but that long period means it’ll break straight at the beach, so look for a point or reef if you can. The afternoon pushes the energy even higher to 758, but the wind picks up to a cross-shore breeze, so the morning is the clear winner. Sunday the 19th holds decent energy (845 in the morning) but the wind is cross-on, so it’s not as clean.
After that, it fades out fast. The last week of the forecast is mostly poor, with small swell and onshore or cross winds. There’s a little spike on Wednesday the 22nd with 4ft from the WNW, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’ll be messy and weak. Not worth chasing.
The one true standout in this whole 16-day window is the morning of Saturday, July 18th at Pescaderos. It’s a fairly consistent spot, but crowds are possible, so get in early. The water temp is about average for the season, so no wetsuit drama. The swell is small but clean, the period is long, and the energy is solid. That’s your best bet.
If you’re a beginner, the morning of Saturday the 18th is fine – only 3ft. The bigger days later in the week are still under 5ft, so manageable for most. Nothing here gets over 8ft, so no expert-only days.
There’s a gap of a few days after the 18th where the surf drops off again, so don’t sleep on that window.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Tue afternoon, min 19°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
216 | 189 | 169 | 173 | 169 | 167 | 172 | 118 | 152 | 134 | 136 | 104 | 139 | 141 | 68 | 63 | 109 | 395 | 206 | 197 | 277 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | glassy | on | on | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 5:42PM2.10m | 8:00AM1.30m | 6:35PM2.24m | 9:03AM1.38m | 7:29PM2.37m | 9:53AM1.46m | 8:23PM2.47m | 10:38AM1.52m | 9:15PM2.51m | 11:20AM1.58m | 10:06PM2.48m | 12:03PM1.64m | 10:56PM2.37m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:37AM1.03m | 1:26AM0.38m | 11:44AM1.10m | 2:19AM0.16m | 12:52PM1.13m | 3:08AM-0.01m | 1:54PM1.11m | 3:56AM-0.12m | 2:53PM1.07m | 4:42AM-0.16m | 3:49PM1.03m | 5:26AM-0.12m | 4:46PM0.99m | ||||||||
5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | |
— | 8:14 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:12 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 5 | WNW 8 | S 12 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | SW 16 | WNW 9 |
216 | 189 | 169 | 173 | 129 | 137 | 92 | 48 | 152 | 134 | 136 | 104 | 139 | 141 | 24 | 63 | 27 | 97 | 206 | 67 | 277 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 9 | SSW 13 | S 12 | SW 18 | WNW 9 | SW 17 | W 14 | SW 16 |
173 | 169 | 121 | 118 | 169 | 167 | 172 | 118 | 38 | 44 | 45 | 47 | 32 | 41 | 68 | 26 | 49 | 184 | 47 | 15 | 90 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | S 18 | S 18 | S 19 | S 16 | S 18 | S 14 | S 15 | S 16 | W 16 | SW 19 | NW 9 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | W 14 | S 12 | SSW 12 |
91 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 24 | 37 | 67 | 45 | 19 | 59 | 20 | 44 | 26 | 109 | 16 | 11 | 14 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 3 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 9 | ESE 3 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 36 | — | 109 | 395 | — | 197 | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 147 | 150 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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.










