Surf Forecasts:
San Clemente State Park surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 17 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SSW swell with 402 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for San Clemente State Park this week:
The surf forecast for San Clemente State Park over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at San Clemente State Park in the next 16 days are 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 5AM. 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+) | 8PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for San Clemente State Park over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, checking in with a long look at the surf in our corner of the world.
We're looking at a pretty lackluster 16-day stretch, if I'm being honest. The swell's just not got any punch to it, and we've got wind issues on most days. The water's sitting at a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, around 71°, so a bit of a treat if you do get in.
Let's start from the beginning. The first recommendation pops up on Saturday the 12th at San Clemente State Park. It's tiny, with a 2ft swell from the SW, but it's also a cross-onshore wind. That's not doing us any favors, making it pretty choppy. The surf energy is weak (265). Not a day to get excited about.
We roll into Sunday the 13th and it's more of the same – we're talking 2ft surf with a cross-onshore breeze. The afternoon gets a bit of a period jump to 19 seconds, but with an onshore wind and only 1ft on offer, it's still not worth paddling out for. The energy is still in the weak range (278).
Monday the 14th brings a slight bump in swell height to 3ft from the west, but the period is a short, weak 8 seconds. The wind is a moderate cross-onshore at 12 mph, making for a choppy mess (energy 268). Skip it.
The whole second week is more of a waiting game. From Tuesday the 15th through the rest of September, we're stuck in a pattern of marginal conditions. The swell heights hover between 2ft and 3ft, mostly from the SW. The best you can hope for are those brief windows on the 19th, 20th, and 21st where the wind goes light and onshore, maybe even glassy. The energy finally climbs into the moderate range during this period, hitting the 500s (596 on the 17th morning, for example). But it's still small, and the quality is rated as "marginal" – it's a gamble on a good tide and a clean-up set. A true standout? There isn't one. The best of a bad bunch would be the morning of Saturday the 19th with that glassy onshore wind and 3ft swell from the SW, but that's a desperate call.
We're looking at a lot of days with green lights for *maybe* a log, but don't expect any real push. The pattern holds through the 27th, with the swell tapering off again.
So, the bottom line: there's no real swell on the horizon. A blank run like this is more normal for the area in this season. Keep an eye on the charts, because it never stays flat forever.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat morning, min 20°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu afternoon, min 20°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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 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 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 211 | 164 | 160 | 89 | 130 | 156 | 116 | 150 | 190 | 161 | 127 | 114 | 386 | 347 | 291 | 280 | 246 | 242 | 303 | 303 | 234 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 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 | 2:20PM1.29m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 11:29PM0.35m | |||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:53 | — | — | 6:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 23 |
Feels °C | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 7 | W 7 | W 10 | W 8 | W 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | W 6 |
| kJ | 211 | 164 | 160 | 58 | 61 | 156 | 116 | 52 | 59 | 57 | 57 | 88 | 386 | 347 | 291 | 280 | 246 | 242 | 183 | 303 | 21 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 8 | W 6 | S 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 11 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 25 | 15 | 20 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 108 | 150 | 190 | 161 | 122 | 21 | 11 | 30 | 61 | 147 | 46 | 57 | 303 | 141 | 101 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | 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 5 | S 9 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 21 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 29 | 29 | 14 | 58 | 130 | 129 | 44 | 40 | 38 | 37 | 127 | 114 | 15 | 5 | 27 | 160 | 162 | 156 | 54 | 34 | 234 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | W 3 | W 4 | W 5 | W 5 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 12 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 81 | 89 | 0 | 67 | 89 | 86 | 81 | 86 | 67 | 68 | 86 | 0 | 81 | 89 | 0 | 89 | 89 | 10 | 89 | 89 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the San Clemente State Park Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for San Clemente State Park provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at San Clemente State Park can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our San Clemente State Park 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 (San Clemente State Park) 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 San Clemente State Park 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.
San Clemente State Park is 3 km (2 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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