Surf Forecasts:
Point Arena surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period, NW swell with 599 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Point Arena this week:
The surf forecast for Point Arena over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Point Arena in the next 16 days are 1.9m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 11s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Point Arena over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Point Arena over the next couple of weeks.
It's a bit of a slow start, to be honest. We're looking at a stretch of pretty ordinary surf through the first few days. The water's sitting at 56°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you'll want a decent wetsuit. The first real chance of a surfable wave shows up on Tuesday the 8th. The morning is looking glassy, with a light westerly wind and a 4ft NW swell. It's not going to set the world on fire, but it's clean enough to get a few grovelly ones.
Things start to get interesting from Wednesday the 9th into Thursday the 10th. The swell direction swings around to the SW, and the period jumps way up. Wednesday afternoon sees a 3ft SW swell with a 19-second period – that's some serious groundswell energy (536). It's a bit small, but that long period will wrap in nicely. Thursday the 10th is looking like the pick of the first week. The morning has a 3ft SW swell with a 17-second period, and the combined energy is up there (625). The afternoon cleans up with a cross-offshore breeze from the NNW. This is a classic point-break swell, and with the wind cleaning it up, it should offer some fun, lined-up waves. The reef at Point Arena will love that long period.
After that, we hit a bit of a dry spell. The models are showing a lull in quality surf from Friday the 11th right through to Monday the 14th, with a mix of weak, short-period NW swell and strong winds. Not worth rushing out for.
Now, look out for the following week. The forecast is pointing towards a solid pulse of NW swell arriving around the 18th and 19th of September. The Saturday the 19th has a 6ft NW swell, but it's coming with a cross-wind, so it might be a bit lumpy. The real standout for the whole period looks like Friday the 18th. The afternoon session is showing a 8ft NW swell, which is getting up there and is definitely for experienced surfers only. The combined energy is a hefty 1104, and it's coming with a clean cross-offshore breeze. That's a lot of power and clean conditions. This is the one to circle on the calendar, but it's over a week away, so keep an eye on it as it gets closer.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon night, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed night, min 16°C on Tue afternoon). 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) | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 8 | SSW 14 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | SW 19 | NW 8 | SW 19 | NNW 8 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | NW 10 | NW 10 | NW 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 294 | 294 | 376 | 335 | 0 | 255 | 144 | 203 | 403 | 223 | 156 | 175 | 151 | 423 | 98 | 419 | 560 | 489 | 79 | 146 | 106 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:02AM1.21m | 6:05PM1.87m | 9:01AM1.30m | 7:20PM1.90m | 9:45AM1.40m | 8:27PM1.94m | 10:21AM1.50m | 9:27PM1.97m | 10:55AM1.60m | 10:22PM1.94m | 11:27AM1.70m | 11:13PM1.88m | 11:59AM1.77m | 00:03AM1.77m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:42AM1.03m | 1:55AM-0.07m | 1:12PM0.99m | 2:53AM-0.14m | 2:26PM0.88m | 3:42AM-0.17m | 3:28PM0.72m | 4:25AM-0.15m | 4:22PM0.56m | 5:04AM-0.07m | 5:11PM0.41m | 5:41AM0.05m | 5:59PM0.29m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | NW 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSE 14 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | S 12 | S 12 | NW 8 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 294 | 294 | 512 | 405 | 400 | 331 | 144 | 203 | 403 | 223 | 156 | 356 | 400 | 113 | 278 | 327 | 358 | 474 | 214 | 403 | 372 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 11 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | NW 7 | NW 8 | S 11 | NNW 8 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | NW 10 | NW 9 |
| kJ | 612 | 796 | 68 | 154 | 289 | 325 | 384 | 372 | 355 | 334 | 309 | 115 | 151 | 149 | 98 | 419 | 560 | 489 | 425 | 115 | 106 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 19 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | WNW 12 | NW 11 | NW 11 | NW 10 | WSW 16 | S 7 |
| kJ | 98 | 71 | 99 | 66 | 43 | 97 | 229 | 217 | 118 | 120 | 120 | 175 | 132 | 423 | 312 | 177 | 119 | 117 | 79 | 146 | 51 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 9 | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 6 | NW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | — | — | S 8 | — |
| kJ | — | 190 | 376 | 335 | 169 | 255 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | 165 | — | — | 127 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 73 | 610 | 0 | 91 | 265 | 30 | 13 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 43 | 0 | 46 | 120 | 4 | 590 | 267 | 43 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Mendocino County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Point Arena Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Point Arena provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Point Arena can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Point Arena 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 (Point Arena) 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 Point Arena 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.
Point Arena is 52 km (32 miles) from Ukiah. If you plan a vacation in Mendocino County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ukiah. Ukiah has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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