Surf Forecasts:
Ponto surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 17s period, SW swell with 273 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 15s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Ponto this week:
The surf forecast for Ponto over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Ponto in the next 16 days are 0.7m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Ponto over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, mate, it's a tough start. We're looking at a real dry spell to kick things off. The first solid chance of a wave doesn't show up until Thursday morning, the 29th of August, and even then it's marginal. Before that, from Wednesday the 19th right through to Wednesday the 26th, it's a long stretch of tiny, weak swell and poor conditions. You're looking at nothing but small, messy surf with a combined wave energy barely breaking into the three digits. It's a real flat patch.
The first glimmer of hope, and the only real standout in this entire forecast, comes around Saturday the 29th of August. The morning session at Ponto looks like the best bet we've got. The swell is starting to build, with a clean 4ft from the SSW, and with a period of 17 seconds, that's a nice long-period groundswell. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 71°, not that you'll be complaining. The wind is light and offshore from the West, which means clean, glassy lines. The wave energy is ramping up into the strong range at 727, so there's some proper push behind it. It's a river-mouth setup, and with that long period, it should wrap in nicely. Keep in mind the crowd factor, though – it's often busy here, so get in early.
The afternoon of the 29th and the morning of the 30th of August aren't bad either. The swell holds around 4ft from the SSW, still with clean offshore winds, and the energy is up around 786. It's still a solid option, but the morning of the 29th is the pick of the bunch.
After that, it starts to fade again. The wind shifts onshore from the 31st, and the swell drops back down. The very last entry, on Thursday the 3rd of September, shows a little bump with a glassy afternoon, but the swell is small and from the SSE. It's a long way out, so don't bank on it.
So, to sum it up: don't bother paddling out until the 29th. The best of the best is the morning of Saturday the 29th of August at Ponto. It's not a massive swell, but it's clean, it's got energy, and it's the only real window of quality we've got in the near future.
Stay patient.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Fri morning, min 20°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun morning, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 249 | 239 | 236 | 175 | 156 | 137 | 98 | 92 | 167 | 218 | 177 | 155 | 269 | 197 | 179 | 273 | 264 | 163 | 203 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 3:47PM1.79m | 8:25AM1.36m | 5:06PM1.83m | 8:27AM1.43m | 6:08PM1.91m | 8:41AM1.49m | 6:56PM2.01m | 8:58AM1.55m | 7:35PM2.10m | 9:16AM1.61m | 8:10PM2.17m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:59PM0.76m | 00:19AM0.65m | 10:08AM1.35m | 1:10AM0.54m | 11:57AM1.32m | 1:47AM0.43m | 12:51PM1.24m | 2:18AM0.34m | 1:31PM1.14m | 2:46AM0.27m | 2:06PM1.04m | 3:11AM0.24m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 |
Feels °C | 23 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 6 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | W 6 | SW 17 | W 6 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 6 |
| kJ | 249 | 239 | 236 | 175 | 156 | 137 | 98 | 31 | 167 | 218 | 41 | 98 | 269 | 37 | 179 | 59 | 264 | 163 | 61 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | W 5 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 |
| kJ | 33 | 27 | 18 | 10 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 92 | 19 | 17 | 99 | 155 | 21 | 197 | 85 | 273 | 126 | 87 | 123 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 19 | WSW 19 | S 10 | SW 18 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | S 14 | S 13 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 13 | 57 | 35 | 8 | 81 | 51 | 49 | 81 | 56 | 58 | 177 | 84 | 199 | 89 | 66 | 126 | 8 | 2 | 203 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | W 6 | W 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | — | — | 36 | — | 51 | 60 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 54 | 0 | 122 | 54 | 0 | 109 | 54 | 0 | 54 | 53 | 0 | 54 | 53 | 37 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 54 | 53 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | |||||||||||||||||||
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)
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 Ponto 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 Ponto Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Ponto provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Ponto can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Ponto 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 (Ponto) 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 Ponto 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.
Ponto is 2 km (1 miles) from the city of Carlsbad. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Carlsbad. Carlsbad has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest