Surf Forecasts:
Riviera surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 14s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, SSW swell with 953 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m 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 1.6m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 2AM. 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+) | 5AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riviera over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s take a long look at what’s coming up for Riviera. The next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag with plenty of marginal conditions and some small windows that look better. We’re stuck with light breezes most of the time, so wind isn’t the main villain – more the lack of decent size and clean shape.
The first real glimmer is around Wednesday the 26th of August afternoon. Swell bumps up to 4ft from the S, period at 13 seconds – a solid groundswell. Energy is strong (1043). Wind is offshore from the SSW, light at 6 mph, so the surface should be tidy. The catch? This break is super consistent and works on a SW optimum, but the S swell is a bit off-angle. Still, with that energy and clean wind, it’s worth a look for the more experienced crew – anyone learning might find it a bit much.
The next standout lands on Friday the 4th of September morning. This is the pick of the forecast. Swell is 3ft from the S, period 16 seconds – long period groundswell, which will wrap in nicely with clean lines. Combined energy is strong (944). Wind is glassy, 3 mph from the SW, so the surf will be clean as a whistle. Riviera is an exposed spot, and with that long period, the shape should be good – maybe a bit straight at times, but a point break setup would handle it better. This is the one to circle. Crowds? It can get busy, but on a glassy Friday morning in early September, you might score a quiet window.
There’s another push on Saturday the 5th of September morning: 6ft from the S, period 14 seconds, energy high (1386). Wind is light offshore again. That’s solid, but it’s getting into bigger territory – better for experienced surfers only. It’s promising but still a week and a half out, so keep an eye on updates.
Between these highlights, there are gaps of rough or tiny surf. For example, nothing really works from the 22nd through the 25th of August – those days are best spent doing something else. Then after the 27th, it’s back to marginal until the 4th of September. So, a bit of patience required.
Water temps are sitting about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on.
Alright, that’s the story. Stay keen, and don’t sleep on that glassy Friday morning.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sun morning, min 22°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 23°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 175 | 156 | 137 | 98 | 92 | 167 | 218 | 177 | 155 | 213 | 197 | 179 | 273 | 216 | 171 | 526 | 683 | 563 | 953 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross |
High Tide | 8:16AM0.98m | 5:05PM1.40m | 8:13AM1.05m | 6:07PM1.49m | 8:24AM1.11m | 6:54PM1.59m | 8:38AM1.17m | 7:31PM1.68m | 8:56AM1.23m | 8:05PM1.75m | 9:16AM1.30m | 8:37PM1.78m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:16AM0.32m | 9:51AM0.97m | 1:08AM0.21m | 11:54AM0.93m | 1:45AM0.11m | 12:49PM0.84m | 2:15AM0.03m | 1:27PM0.73m | 2:41AM-0.02m | 2:01PM0.63m | 3:06AM-0.06m | 2:35PM0.54m | 3:31AM-0.06m | ||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 24 |
Feels °C | 26 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | W 6 | SW 17 | W 6 | W 7 | S 13 | W 7 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 175 | 156 | 137 | 98 | 92 | 167 | 218 | 27 | 98 | 213 | 26 | 179 | 41 | 72 | 171 | 138 | 683 | 563 | 953 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 14 | W 7 | SSW 16 | W 7 |
| kJ | 10 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 99 | 155 | 199 | 197 | 58 | 273 | 216 | 163 | 526 | 108 | 397 | 81 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SW 18 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 16 | W 5 | SSW 12 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 7 | W 13 |
| kJ | 8 | 81 | 51 | 49 | 81 | 56 | 58 | 177 | 84 | 12 | 89 | 66 | 126 | 126 | 47 | 203 | 157 | 83 | 31 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | WNW 6 | — | W 7 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | — | 26 | 56 | — | 74 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 81 | 89 | 0 | 89 | 89 | 0 | 86 | 89 | 9 | 89 | 89 | 0 | 89 | 147 | 12 | 68 | 68 | 6 |
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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