Surf Forecasts:
Riviera surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period, SW swell with 477 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s 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 (Sep 12) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Riviera in the next 16 days are 1.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Fri 11th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riviera over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for your local stretch, Riviera. Let’s be straight – this is a pretty flat and frustrating run ahead. The whole 16-day window is one long stretch of marginal to poor conditions, with no proper standout days. There’s a gap right from the start: the first few days are all poor, so you’re looking at a solid week of mostly nothing worth paddling out for. After that, things tease at “marginal” but never really get good.
Kicking off Friday the 11th, we’ve got a 3 ft SW swell running at a very long 16 seconds, but it’s cross-on from the SSE at 12 mph, making it choppy. The combined swell energy is moderate at 531, but the wind kills it. Saturday the 12th drops to 2 ft, still cross-on, and by Sunday the 13th we’re down to 2 ft. The whole first week is plagued by cross-on winds and messy conditions. Water temp is sitting at 69°, which is about average for the time of year.
From Monday the 14th through to the following weekend, we see tiny swell, mostly 2 ft to 3 ft, with periods between 14 and 20 seconds. The wind does occasionally swing onshore from the SW or WSW, which is the best we’re going to get, but the scores are all “marginal” at best. The combined energy climbs into the 400s and 500s, so there’s some energy in the water, but it’s poorly directed and never clean. For a beginner-friendly, very consistent spot like Riviera, this is a long dry spell.
A couple of sessions around Wednesday the 16th and into the 20th show light onshore winds and 3 ft to 3 ft SW swells with 16-18 second periods – these are the closest to “maybe worth a look,” but honestly, the surf is tiny and still a bit bumpy. By the 23rd, we get a rain shower and the same marginal story. Into the last few days, Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th, the swell drops to 1 ft to 2 ft, with a long period of 19 seconds, but it’s cross-on again.
Bottom line: there’s no real swell here, no clean windows, and no standout. If you’re desperate, a longboard on a very small day with light SW winds around the 19th or 20th might give you a few dribbles, but don’t get your hopes up. This stretch looks better for a kite session than a paddle, honestly.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Fri morning, min 21°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 20°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 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 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 19 | W 10 | W 8 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 471 | 360 | 309 | 211 | 164 | 160 | 89 | 130 | 196 | 160 | 150 | 190 | 161 | 127 | 113 | 386 | 347 | 402 | 284 | 246 | 242 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 9:46AM1.66m | 9:50PM1.71m | 10:15AM1.70m | 10:31PM1.55m | 10:44AM1.70m | 11:13PM1.36m | 11:11AM1.66m | 11:59PM1.17m | 11:38AM1.58m | 00:58AM0.99m | 12:07PM1.48m | 2:45AM0.87m | 12:46PM1.38m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:52PM0.16m | 4:08AM0.08m | 4:33PM0.14m | 4:33AM0.24m | 5:15PM0.16m | 4:56AM0.41m | 5:59PM0.22m | 5:16AM0.57m | 6:51PM0.30m | 5:28AM0.72m | 8:00PM0.38m | 5:12AM0.84m | 9:44PM0.41m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:53 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 22 |
Feels °C | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 6 | W 7 | W 8 | W 10 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 471 | 360 | 309 | 211 | 164 | 36 | 82 | 94 | 196 | 160 | 89 | 33 | 57 | 58 | 32 | 386 | 347 | 402 | 284 | 246 | 242 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 7 | S 13 | S 11 | S 12 | S 10 | W 5 |
| kJ | 29 | 17 | 10 | 25 | 24 | 160 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 108 | 150 | 190 | 161 | 122 | 88 | 14 | 82 | 55 | 97 | 54 | 12 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | S 9 | W 6 | S 12 | SW 21 | SW 21 | S 12 |
| kJ | 22 | 20 | 16 | 29 | 29 | 14 | 58 | 130 | 129 | 44 | 40 | 38 | 37 | 127 | 113 | 15 | 11 | 27 | 160 | 162 | 69 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | W 3 | — |
| kJ | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 81 | 68 | 6 | 68 | 89 | 23 | 68 | 89 | 6 | 69 | 89 | 27 | 81 | 86 | 0 | 85 | 89 | 0 | 89 | 89 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange 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 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.
Nearest