
Surf Forecasts:
Pescaderos surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 15s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 14s period, S swell with 445 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 15s 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 13s. 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 1.1m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pescaderos over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what's coming our way. Gotta be straight with you, it's a bit of a scratchy patch ahead. We're looking at Pescaderos, and while there are a few windows, nothing is screaming "drop everything and go."
The overall pattern is small, mixed-up swell with mostly light winds, but the conditions just aren't coming together for anything consistent. The water is sitting at a very unusual 69°F, a full 6°F warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the thick rubber at home.
We kick off this Saturday, the 5th. The swell is small at 2ft from the SW, with a very long 15-second period. The problem is the wind is light and cross-onshore, so it'll be a bit bumpy. The combined swell energy is moderate (464), but a long-period SW groundswell can be tricky on a beach break like this, often breaking too straight.
Moving into Sunday, the 6th, the swell builds a touch to 3ft on Sunday morning but the wind goes onshore from the SSE, making it messy. The afternoon cleans up a bit with a light cross-shore breeze as the swell hits 3ft, but it's still only marginal.
Monday and Tuesday the 7th and 8th are much the same story – small swell around 2ft to 4ft, with light cross-winds but nothing clean enough to really call good. The energy stays moderate, between 351 and 472. A lot of waiting for not much payoff.
Thursday the 10th afternoon sees a bit of hope. The wind goes light and cross-offshore from the W, cleaning things right up. The swell is small at 2ft from the SW, with a 16-second period, and the combined energy is moderate (367). For a beginner-friendly spot, this window could be worth a look for some clean, learner-friendly lines, but it's not going to excite anyone else.
We get a weird pulse on Friday the 11th afternoon. The swell jumps to 6ft from the WNW, but with a shockingly short period of just 6 seconds. That's all chop and bump, not proper surf. The combined energy is moderate (494), but the quality will be awful.
The following week is a long stretch of nothing. From Saturday the 12th through to Thursday the 17th, the forecast is littered with "poor surf conditions". The swell stays tiny, mostly under 3ft, and the period is often short. The combined energy drops, even falling below 100 (96) on Tuesday the 15th afternoon. There is a brief flicker on Thursday the 17th afternoon with a clean, cross-offshore W wind and a 4ft WNW swell (289 combined energy), but with a 7-second period, it’s just not going to have any punch.
The best bet of the whole 16-day run actually looks like it could be Thursday the 17th afternoon at Pescaderos. It’s not a standout in any big way, but a clean, cross-offshore breeze with waist-high waves is about the best we’re going to get. Just don't expect much power.
All in all, it's a lean couple of weeks. There are a few mornings and afternoons that might be barely rideable for a beginner on a foamie, but for anyone looking for a proper session, it's looking pretty flat. Keep an eye on it though; forecasts can change.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Mon afternoon, min 20°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 34°C on Wed afternoon, min 25°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSE 14 | S 13 | SSE 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
242 | 201 | 198 | 308 | 361 | 269 | 420 | 377 | 362 | 187 | 334 | 209 | 144 | 138 | 195 | 295 | 261 | 251 | 193 | 281 | 200 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | off | on | cross | off | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross | cross | off | cross | cross | glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 5:08PM2.02m | 8:08AM1.47m | 6:21PM2.11m | 8:37AM1.57m | 7:22PM2.19m | 9:07AM1.68m | 8:15PM2.22m | 9:36AM1.79m | 9:03PM2.19m | 10:04AM1.88m | 9:50PM2.10m | 10:33AM1.95m | 10:35PM1.96m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:25AM1.29m | 1:04AM0.26m | 12:07PM1.22m | 1:52AM0.16m | 1:16PM1.09m | 2:34AM0.11m | 2:11PM0.93m | 3:11AM0.12m | 3:00PM0.78m | 3:45AM0.19m | 3:47PM0.66m | 4:17AM0.32m | 4:32PM0.57m | 4:46AM0.47m | |||||||
6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | |
— | 7:20 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:12 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 23 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 26 |
Feels °C | 23 | 24 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSE 13 | SSE 14 | S 13 | SSE 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 17 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 |
242 | 201 | 198 | 308 | 361 | 269 | 420 | 377 | 362 | 187 | 334 | 209 | 144 | 104 | 195 | 164 | 261 | 251 | 193 | 148 | 142 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | SW 19 | WNW 6 | S 11 | SW 18 | SW 16 | WNW 4 | SW 17 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SW 10 | SW 8 | SW 7 | WSW 17 | WSW 15 |
152 | 192 | 196 | 144 | 140 | 144 | 38 | 14 | 4 | 114 | 50 | 68 | 6 | 138 | 93 | 295 | 79 | 24 | 14 | 57 | 74 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SW 11 | WNW 5 | W 6 | SW 10 | SW 19 | W 14 | SSW 18 | SW 18 | SW 12 | WNW 8 | SW 19 | NW 10 | SSW 9 | S 12 | SSW 12 | S 11 | W 18 | S 10 | S 10 |
70 | 45 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 4 | 31 | 50 | 6 | 6 | 94 | 4 | 47 | 11 | 27 | 9 | 57 | 8 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 10 | WNW 4 | — | — | WNW 5 | — | W 7 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | — | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 |
— | 41 | 11 | — | — | 19 | — | 24 | 11 | 6 | 24 | 16 | — | 4 | 31 | 75 | 173 | 95 | 69 | 281 | 200 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 150 | 1 | 0 | 63 | 36 | 0 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 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.










