
Surf Forecasts:
Pescaderos surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period, WNW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, WNW swell with 452 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 17s period with SW 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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. 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 1.6m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pescaderos over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Let's cut through the noise and have a look at the waves coming our way for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, it's a pretty slow start, and we're going to be waiting a few days for anything that's actually worth paddling out for. The ocean's just not doing us any favors right now, with small, weak, and messy conditions on the menu. It's not a great look for the immediate future, so don't rush to grab your board just yet.
The first stretch, through the 11th and into the morning of the 12th, is pretty much a write-off. We're looking at tiny surf, mostly under 3 ft, with short, weak periods and a lot of cross-shore wind. There's nothing here that'll get the heart racing. It's flat and frustrating more than anything else.
We finally see a bit of a pulse on the afternoon of Sunday the 13th. The swell bumps up to 5 ft, but the period is a dismal 7 seconds. That's just windswell chop, nothing with any push or shape to it. It's still not great, but at least it's something to look at, with clean conditions and a light offshore. The energy is moderate at best (302), so expect a bit of whitewater but not much in the way of proper waves.
The next couple of days roll by in a similar fashion, with a mix of small, weak swells and poor winds. Then, the tide starts to turn on the afternoon of Friday the 18th. We've got a 4 ft swell, but more importantly, it's starting to show a bit more energy, and the winds are looking cleaner, with a cross-offshore breeze grooming things up. Saturday the 19th afternoon is where things start to get genuinely interesting though.
Pescaderos is the break to watch. On the afternoon of Saturday the 19th, it's looking at a solid 4 ft of swell coming from the WNW, and that's when the energy really starts to build. We're looking at strong wave energy (650). The period is still on the shorter side at 9 seconds, but with the clean cross-offshore winds, it should be shaping up nicely. The water temp is a notable 70°F, which is a whopping 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year—that's a standout in itself, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.
There's another decent push on the morning of Sunday the 20th, with a 4 ft swell and strong energy (554), but the winds are a bit more onshore, making it less favorable. The trend continues into the first days of the following week, with lingering WNW swell and moderate energy, but the wind direction is the key. Those mornings look a little messy, while the afternoons, like the 21st, could offer up some clean, if not overly powerful, waves in the 2 ft range from the SW, though the energy levels drop off a bit.
After that, the surf just seems to fade out again. The last week of the window gets small, weak, and messy, with periods dropping below 15 seconds and energy levels (192, 189, 154) indicating we're back in weak territory. It's a real shame, because the 19th and the surrounding days look like they had some promise, but the ocean just can't hold it together. It's a tough run, so if you're keen, you'll have to pick your moments.
This has been a long outlook, so here's the short of it: The standout, and really the only date to circle on the calendar, is the afternoon of Saturday the 19th at Pescaderos. Get out there if you can. After that, it's a waiting game.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 35°C on Wed afternoon, min 20°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sat afternoon, min 19°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 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) | SW 19 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | WNW 7 | SW 14 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
94 | 138 | 195 | 295 | 261 | 251 | 196 | 146 | 171 | 117 | 102 | 329 | 206 | 187 | 322 | 193 | 126 | 103 | 120 | 90 | 81 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross | glassy | on | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 9:36AM1.79m | 9:03PM2.19m | 10:04AM1.88m | 9:50PM2.10m | 10:33AM1.95m | 10:35PM1.96m | 11:01AM2.00m | 11:21PM1.79m | 11:30AM2.01m | 00:10AM1.60m | 11:59AM1.98m | 1:05AM1.43m | 12:31PM1.92m | 2:21AM1.29m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:00PM0.78m | 3:45AM0.19m | 3:47PM0.66m | 4:17AM0.32m | 4:32PM0.57m | 4:46AM0.47m | 5:18PM0.52m | 5:14AM0.65m | 6:05PM0.52m | 5:39AM0.83m | 6:55PM0.55m | 6:02AM0.99m | 7:53PM0.61m | ||||||||
6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | |
— | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:12 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:08 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 34 | 35 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 20 |
Feels °C | 33 | 33 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | WNW 5 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 6 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | WNW 7 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | SW 17 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
41 | 138 | 195 | 37 | 261 | 251 | 31 | 146 | 171 | 117 | 102 | 96 | 46 | 45 | 322 | 193 | 107 | 103 | 120 | 90 | 81 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | SW 17 | SW 9 | WNW 12 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
94 | 25 | 13 | 295 | 20 | 14 | 196 | 51 | 42 | 102 | 59 | 29 | 58 | 58 | 44 | 48 | 15 | 75 | 65 | 62 | 39 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 7 | W 18 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WSW 13 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | WSW 11 | SW 19 | SW 13 | S 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 20 | SSW 12 |
56 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 11 | 5 | 24 | 12 | 9 | 35 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 56 | 27 | 1 | 15 | 14 | 69 | 13 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 7 | NW 5 | — | WNW 9 | — | — | — | — |
12 | 24 | 40 | — | 58 | 77 | 42 | 72 | 60 | — | 109 | 329 | 206 | 187 | 18 | — | 126 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 227 | 0 | 142 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 142 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 135 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.










