Surf Forecasts:
Riviera surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 13s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 21s period, SW swell with 898 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s 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 Sunday (Jul 19) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s 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 1.0m 21s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 21s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riviera over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s talk about Riviera. This is a beginner-friendly spot, very consistent, exposed to the open ocean, and the optimum swell direction is SW, which is what we’re seeing. But honestly, the next 16 days are a mixed bag at best. There’s no real standout, and most of the time the swell is on the small side with wind that’s not helping. The water temp is about average for this time of year – nothing weird.
We start off Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th with tiny 2.6–3.0 ft SW swell, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s pretty crumbly. Combined energy is weak to moderate (601–812), and the conditions are described as marginal. Not worth paddling out unless you’re desperate. Tuesday and Wednesday look similar, still small, still onshore, still poor.
Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th have a little bump in period – 24 seconds on Friday! That’s a very long groundswell, but the height is only 2.0–2.3 ft, and the wind is cross-onshore. Long-period swell like that can be tricky on a beach break – it tends to close out or run straight. Combined energy is moderate (869) but the wave comment says marginal. Not likely to be fun.
The weekend of the 26th–27th brings a slight increase. Sunday the 26th morning has 3.6 ft SW swell, 19-second period, light cross-onshore breeze. Combined energy is now moderate (1135). It’s still not clean, but it’s the best so far. Monday the 27th is the best of the whole run: 4.3–4.6 ft SW swell, 18-second period, with light onshore wind (6 mph). The combined energy is solid (1191–1211). That’s a moderate wave energy, and the swell direction matches the optimum. The wind is onshore, but very light, so it might be glassy enough to be rideable. For a beginner break, this is the window to aim for. Period is long, so expect longer gaps between sets, but the shape should be decent if the tide lines up.
After that, things get bigger but uglier. Tuesday the 28th has 4.3 ft but cross-onshore wind, then Wednesday the 29th is poor. Thursday the 30th morning has 4.3 ft with onshore wind, but afternoon sees 3.9 ft from S, still onshore, score a 3 again. That’s another possible session, but the wind is not ideal.
Then Friday the 31st and Saturday August 1st bring a spike in size: 7.5–8.2 ft S swell on Friday,
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 19°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Thu afternoon, min 21°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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 17 | SW 17 | SSW 12 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 24 | SSW 24 | SW 21 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 127 | 330 | 424 | 488 | 340 | 367 | 407 | 519 | 474 | 559 | 437 | 394 | 316 | 236 | 201 | 154 | 563 | 368 | 548 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 00:44AM1.39m | 1:58PM1.43m | 1:45AM1.14m | 2:48PM1.44m | 3:09AM0.93m | 3:42PM1.45m | 5:11AM0.84m | 4:40PM1.47m | 7:14AM0.88m | 5:36PM1.51m | 8:16AM0.96m | 6:26PM1.57m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:19AM0.16m | 8:13PM0.55m | 7:54AM0.37m | 9:43PM0.52m | 8:31AM0.55m | 11:24PM0.42m | 9:18AM0.71m | 00:41AM0.28m | 10:30AM0.81m | 1:32AM0.15m | 11:48AM0.85m | 2:10AM0.05m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | |
 | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:55 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 22 |
Feels °C | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | SW 17 | S 12 | SSW 12 | S 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | W 6 | S 12 | S 13 | S 12 |
| kJ | 81 | 330 | 336 | 488 | 235 | 198 | 407 | 519 | 474 | 559 | 437 | 394 | 316 | 236 | 201 | 46 | 248 | 324 | 276 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | S 13 | SW 17 | W 5 | SW 15 | SW 16 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | W 5 | W 6 | SW 8 | W 6 | W 7 | W 6 | SSW 13 | W 7 | W 6 | SW 21 |
| kJ | 127 | 163 | 424 | 4 | 340 | 367 | 94 | 60 | 56 | 12 | 30 | 9 | 22 | 58 | 27 | 154 | 58 | 37 | 548 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 11 | WNW 15 | WNW 15 | WNW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 6 | W 5 | S 8 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 24 | SSW 24 | W 6 |
| kJ | 56 | 108 | 42 | 21 | 20 | 35 | 111 | 10 | 8 | 21 | 20 | 10 | 89 | 117 | 101 | 88 | 563 | 368 | 25 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 6 | — | W 5 | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 10 | — | 8 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 28 | 85 | 89 | 0 | 86 | 89 | 0 | 81 | 89 | 13 | 33 | 89 | 0 | 89 | 203 | 68 | 81 | 89 | 85 |
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