Surf Forecasts:
Riviera surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 18 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 12 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 14s period, SSW swell with 394 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s period with SSW 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 17s. 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 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 12) at 8AM. 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 (Sun 12th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 12th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riviera over the next 16 days.
Alright mate, I’m calling it straight: there’s no surf worth your time here at Riviera for the entire 16-day run. We’re looking at a solid 12 days of flat or junk conditions before anything remotely rideable shows up. The first real glimmer comes on Thursday 23 July afternoon, when the wind goes glassy – dead still – and we get a little 3ft SSW swell. Period is short at 13 seconds, and combined energy is 272 (weak), but with glassy conditions, that tiny bump will be clean and surfable for beginners. Crowds are possible there. Water temp is 68°F, about 2°F above the long-term average – not a big deal.
Then on Saturday 25 July morning, swell builds to 3ft from the SW with a very long period of 21 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. Combined energy hits 970 (moderate to strong). Wind is light offshore from the SW, so it could be clean, but the report flags marginal conditions – likely tricky tides or the long period making it straight at a beach break. Worth a look for experienced surfers only.
The best prospect is Sunday 26 July afternoon: 3ft SSW swell, 19-second period, clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the ESE, and the wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” Combined energy is 745 (moderate). That’s the standout, but it’s a week and a half away, so keep your fingers crossed. Crowds are sometimes around.
Everything else is small, choppy, or blown out. If you kite surf, the 21–22 July stretch with moderate cross-onshore winds and consistent waist-high swell might be more your game than paddle surfing.
Hang in there – forecasts can flip – but for now, it’s a long wait for that one glassy afternoon and that distant cleaner session.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue morning, min 18°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Wed afternoon, min 23°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sat 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 15 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 358 | 236 | 316 | 352 | 303 | 312 | 176 | 213 | 123 | 111 | 194 | 107 | 96 | 161 | 122 | 122 | 125 | 181 | 83 | 136 | 366 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 7:01PM1.95m | 9:01AM1.10m | 7:53PM2.06m | 9:44AM1.17m | 8:43PM2.11m | 10:25AM1.23m | 9:32PM2.10m | 11:06AM1.29m | 10:19PM2.02m | 11:47AM1.34m | 11:06PM1.86m | 12:29PM1.38m | 11:54PM1.64m | 1:12PM1.41m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:38AM-0.33m | 1:33PM0.66m | 3:23AM-0.44m | 2:28PM0.60m | 4:07AM-0.47m | 3:20PM0.54m | 4:49AM-0.44m | 4:12PM0.50m | 5:29AM-0.35m | 5:04PM0.49m | 6:07AM-0.21m | 5:59PM0.50m | 6:44AM-0.03m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 |
 | 8:01 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | 7:59 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 |
Feels °C | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | SW 15 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 358 | 236 | 316 | 352 | 303 | 312 | 176 | 213 | 123 | 93 | 133 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 98 | 95 | 40 | 41 | 27 | 136 | 366 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 6 | S 17 | S 15 | S 15 | SSW 14 | SW 21 | SSW 13 | SW 19 | S 12 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 14 | W 7 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 6 | 153 | 68 | 113 | 62 | 18 | 120 | 133 | 72 | 111 | 194 | 65 | 83 | 161 | 122 | 122 | 107 | 181 | 74 | 14 | 44 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 19 | W 5 | W 6 | SW 21 | S 16 | SW 18 | SW 19 | S 12 | SW 19 | S 12 | W 4 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 18 | S 11 | S 12 |
| kJ | 30 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 46 | 12 | 59 | 25 | 58 | 47 | 3 | 107 | 96 | 48 | 48 | 47 | 125 | 74 | 83 | 22 | 25 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 85 | 0 | 139 | 89 | 0 | 89 | 89 | 80 | 81 | 89 | 0 | 81 | 89 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 3 | 68 | 68 | 23 | 85 |
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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