Surf Forecasts:
Riviera surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 16s period, SSW swell with 1,136 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Riviera this week:
The surf forecast for Riviera over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Riviera in the next 16 days are 1.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 11PM. 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+) | 8PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riviera over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next week and a half is a bit of a grind for surf around Riviera. It’s not completely flat, but the conditions are a messy mix of cross-onshore winds and small, weak swell that just won’t come together. The wave energy is low to moderate (values between 213 and 956), and the wind is mostly from the south to west, keeping things bumpy.
We’ve got a few mornings with light onshore winds and marginal surf, but nothing that’d get you out of bed early. The best of a pretty average bunch looks like Sunday 20th July and Monday 21st July mornings. The swell is a weak 3ft to 4ft from the SSW, with a period around 15 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell that’ll be a bit straighter at the beach, but it’s the best we’ve got. The winds are light and variable, so it might clean up for a few hours. The water temp is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.
After that, the wind turns more westerly and picks up, making things choppy again. The real standouts are way out in the second week. Saturday 26th July and Sunday 27th July show a decent pulse of swell. Saturday morning has 5ft from the SSW at 13 seconds, and the wave energy jumps to 1500 – that’s moderate energy. The winds are light and onshore, which is a positive. Sunday is similar, with 4ft from the SW at 18 seconds, a very long period that’ll have some punch. The energy is still strong (1308). These are the best windows, but they’re a week away so keep an eye on it.
Then Tuesday 29th July morning has a solid 4ft from the SSW at 18 seconds, with light winds and a wave energy of 1208. That’s the pick of the lot for the whole 16 days. It’s still a bit marginal on the score, but the winds are light and the swell is there. The break is super consistent, so it won’t go flat on you, but crowds are possible, especially on a good morning.
For the rest of the period, from the 30th onwards, it drops right back down to weak, mushy surf. The combined energy sinks below 500, and the wind stays cross-onshore. It’s a long stretch of average to poor conditions.
Overall, don’t expect much until the last week of July. The 26th, 27th, and 29th mornings are the picks – but they’re a ways off, so take it with a grain of salt.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Fri morning, min 20°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon afternoon, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 19 | SW 18 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 15 | S 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 125 | 181 | 103 | 136 | 366 | 379 | 127 | 334 | 567 | 461 | 449 | 624 | 587 | 387 | 474 | 474 | 334 | 422 | 417 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 11:06PM1.86m | 12:29PM1.38m | 11:54PM1.64m | 1:12PM1.41m | 00:44AM1.39m | 1:58PM1.43m | 1:45AM1.14m | 2:48PM1.44m | 3:09AM0.93m | 3:42PM1.45m | 5:11AM0.84m | 4:40PM1.47m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:07AM-0.21m | 5:59PM0.50m | 6:44AM-0.03m | 7:01PM0.53m | 7:19AM0.16m | 8:13PM0.55m | 7:54AM0.37m | 9:43PM0.52m | 8:31AM0.55m | 11:24PM0.42m | 9:18AM0.71m | 00:41AM0.28m | |||||||
 | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | 8:00 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
Feels °C | 23 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 7 | WSW 7 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 11 | SW 17 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 15 | S 13 |
| kJ | 45 | 40 | 27 | 136 | 366 | 379 | 81 | 334 | 347 | 327 | 327 | 624 | 587 | 387 | 474 | 474 | 334 | 422 | 417 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 14 | W 7 | S 12 | S 12 | SW 16 | S 11 | SW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 11 | SSW 17 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SW 8 | S 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 107 | 181 | 103 | 14 | 69 | 97 | 127 | 108 | 567 | 461 | 449 | 247 | 249 | 140 | 116 | 57 | 322 | 325 | 325 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 18 | S 12 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 13 | S 13 | WNW 15 | WNW 15 | W 5 | SSW 20 | W 14 | SW 12 | SW 11 | S 8 | SW 8 | SW 7 | WSW 6 |
| kJ | 125 | 74 | 83 | 25 | 13 | 7 | 44 | 166 | 42 | 42 | 4 | 75 | 16 | 120 | 82 | 35 | 35 | 17 | 64 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 3 | S 3 | — | — | WSW 6 | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | — | WNW 3 | W 4 | W 4 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 11 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 32 | 85 | 81 | 68 | 69 | 86 | 0 | 81 | 89 | 0 | 86 | 89 | 0 | 85 | 89 | 0 | 89 | 89 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Riviera 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 Riviera Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Riviera provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Riviera can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Riviera 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 (Riviera) 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 Riviera 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.
Riviera is 2 km (1 miles) from San Clemente. If you plan a vacation in Orange County, look for hotels and other accommodation in San Clemente. San Clemente has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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