Surf Forecasts:
Pismo Beach Pier surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 17s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 17s period, SW swell with 493 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Pismo Beach Pier this week:
The surf forecast for Pismo Beach Pier over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Pismo Beach Pier in the next 16 days are 0.9m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 10s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 11th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pismo Beach Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, let's get into it. Rusty here. Looking at the next 16 days, to be honest, it's a tough stretch for Pismo Beach Pier. The pattern is flat and messy, with a whole lot of "poor" and "marginal" conditions. We're looking at a long gap of nothing special from now until maybe the far end of the window.
The water's sitting around 64°, which is just a touch warmer than average for this time of year, so that's a small comfort.
For the first week and a half, from Tuesday, August 11th all the way through to Sunday, August 23rd, it's a struggle. The combined swell energy is weak, mostly in the 200s and 300s (198 to 498), which is low energy. Swell heights are tiny, mostly 1ft to 3ft out of the SW, with a short period under 10 seconds for most of it. On top of that, the wind is almost always a cross-onshore breeze, keeping everything choppy and uninviting. We see a bit of a bump in energy around Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th, with the swell hitting 3ft to 3ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore. It's better for kites than paddles.
The only real standout, if you want to call it that, is right at the very end. On Monday, August 24th, the swell is still only 2ft, but it's a W/NW windswell with a 9-second period. The energy is still low (218). Then Tuesday the 25th is similar. But the best chance for a wave might be on Wednesday, August 26th morning. Swell from the SW at 1ft, but with a period of 19 seconds. That's a very long-period groundswell. The energy is moderate (302). The wind is a light WSW cross-onshore. For a beach break, that long period can make things a bit too fat and straight, but it'll be the best quality we've seen in ages. Just don't expect much size.
The bottom line? Pismo Beach Pier is a bust for the next 16 days. It's a rare pocket of flatness, but it won't last forever. Keep an eye on the long-range models for the end of the month.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 125 | 197 | 194 | 138 | 163 | 206 | 157 | 191 | 229 | 179 | 255 | 312 | 314 | 376 | 486 | 406 | 410 | 293 | 251 | 169 | 248 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:34AM1.65m | 9:27PM2.40m | 11:09AM1.73m | 10:17PM2.33m | 11:43AM1.81m | 11:06PM2.19m | 12:18PM1.87m | 11:55PM2.00m | 12:53PM1.91m | 00:47AM1.78m | 1:28PM1.93m | 1:44AM1.56m | 2:05PM1.92m | 2:56AM1.38m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:17PM1.02m | 4:38AM-0.02m | 4:11PM0.92m | 5:16AM0.07m | 5:04PM0.84m | 5:52AM0.21m | 5:58PM0.78m | 6:26AM0.40m | 6:54PM0.75m | 6:59AM0.60m | 7:53PM0.74m | 7:29AM0.80m | 9:00PM0.73m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 21 | 21 | 15 | 22 | 22 | 16 |
Feels °C | 21 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 21 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 48 | 75 | 52 | 103 | 127 | 113 | 86 | 73 | 86 | 75 | 255 | 312 | 314 | 376 | 486 | 406 | 410 | 293 | 251 | 169 | 248 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | S 10 | SW 10 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 10 |
| kJ | 125 | 197 | 194 | 138 | 163 | 206 | 157 | 191 | 229 | 134 | 132 | 164 | 111 | 85 | 36 | 29 | 7 | 34 | 84 | 77 | 36 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 20 | SW 19 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | WNW 11 | SW 10 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 25 | 61 | 56 | 83 | 41 | 23 | 38 | 20 | 98 | 179 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 33 | 17 | 28 | 16 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 4 | NW 6 | — | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 66 | 48 | 46 | 23 | 46 | — | 21 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 12 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 113 | 109 | 0 | 387 | 109 | 0 | 113 | 79 | 0 | 79 | 81 | 9 | 253 | 109 | 0 | 340 | 109 | 0 | 109 | 235 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Luis Obispo | |||||||||||||||||||||
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)
Latest Updates
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 Pismo Beach Pier 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 Pismo Beach Pier Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Pismo Beach Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Pismo Beach Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Pismo Beach Pier 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 (Pismo Beach Pier) 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 Pismo Beach Pier 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.
Are you planning a vacation in San Luis Obispo? If you are looking for accommodation near Pismo Beach Pier, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in San Luis Obispo, consider staying in Arroyo Grande which is 5 km (3 miles) away. Other places in and around San Luis Obispo where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Port San Luis which is 11 km (7 miles) away, San Luis Obispo, Nipomo and Santa Maria.
Nearest