Surf Forecasts:
Riviera surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, SSW swell with 626 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s 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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s is also forecast. 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 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) 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+) | 2AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riviera over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I ain’t gonna lie to ya, this next stretch is gonna be a test of patience. We’ve got a lot of small, weak swell and a cross-shore breeze that’s gonna keep things all chopped up. The water’s a balmy 73°, which is a solid 6° warmer than it should be for this time of year, so you’ll be comfy in a spring suit or just a shorty.
The first few days are a total loss. Monday afternoon (the 7th) has some knee-to-waist high swell at 6ft from the SSW, but that 25 km/h cross-shore wind will turn it into a washing machine. The energy is moderate at 899, but it won’t be pretty. Tuesday and Wednesday are more of the same, with the wind still all over it and waves dropping to 2ft. This cross-chop is the story of the early week.
We finally get a slight reprieve on Thursday morning (the 10th). It’s still only 3ft, but the period has jumped to 17 seconds, which means some real groundswell energy (634) is rolling through. The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit bumpy on the face, but the sets will have a bit more grunt. It’s still not great, but it’s something.
The weekend and the start of the next week are a flat, sad affair. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th barely have a ripple, with waves down to 2ft. You’re better off staying home. Monday the 14th has a little 3ft blip from the west, but it’s windy and messy again. This rough patch drags on for nearly a week.
Things perk up slightly around Wednesday the 16th. The swell stays small – around 3ft – but the wind finally starts to back off. By Sunday the 20th and Monday the 21st, we’ve got light onshore winds and a more consistent 3ft from the SSW with 18-second periods. The energy is pushing into the moderate range (667-687). It’s not gonna be a day to call in sick for, but it’ll be clean and surfable. That’s your best bet: Riviera, with light winds and a long-period swell. It’s still small, so don’t go getting too excited.
To be honest, most of this run looks more fun for the kite surfers than us paddle guys, especially with those moderate cross-shore winds early on.
The second week still holds some promise, but it’s a long way out and less certain. We’ll just have to see how it shapes up.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Thu afternoon, min 19°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 820 | 626 | 246 | 194 | 145 | 173 | 278 | 419 | 547 | 502 | 483 | 471 | 365 | 309 | 214 | 164 | 160 | 147 | 85 | 179 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross |
High Tide | 6:54PM1.85m | 8:19AM1.38m | 7:43PM1.91m | 8:47AM1.49m | 8:28PM1.91m | 9:17AM1.59m | 9:10PM1.83m | 9:46AM1.66m | 9:50PM1.71m | 10:15AM1.70m | 10:31PM1.55m | 10:44AM1.70m | 11:13PM1.36m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:04AM-0.19m | 1:43PM0.49m | 2:39AM-0.20m | 2:28PM0.34m | 3:11AM-0.15m | 3:10PM0.23m | 3:40AM-0.05m | 3:52PM0.16m | 4:08AM0.08m | 4:33PM0.14m | 4:33AM0.24m | 5:15PM0.16m | 4:56AM0.41m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:04 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:00 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 30 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 |
Feels °C | 30 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
| kJ | 820 | 626 | 246 | 194 | 145 | 67 | 278 | 419 | 547 | 502 | 483 | 471 | 365 | 309 | 74 | 72 | 79 | 94 | 57 | 109 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | W 4 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 58 | 9 | 207 | 154 | 135 | 135 | 119 | 82 | 72 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 43 | 51 | 214 | 164 | 160 | 147 | 85 | 179 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 8 | W 5 | W 6 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | S 9 | SW 19 | W 11 | SW 13 |
| kJ | — | 51 | 81 | 112 | 130 | 173 | 45 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 16 | 41 | 35 | 13 | 59 | 35 | 85 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | W 4 | W 4 | WNW 4 | W 4 | W 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 21 | 16 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 89 | 9 | 9 | 73 | 0 | 9 | 131 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 6 | 81 | 130 | 68 | 81 | 89 | 6 | 68 | 234 | 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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