Surf Forecasts:
Seaside Reef surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 21s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 19s period, SSW swell with 1,153 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Seaside Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Seaside Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 23) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Seaside Reef in the next 16 days are 1.3m 19s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 16s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Seaside Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, it’s a pretty flat and frustrating stretch coming up here at Seaside Reef. This is an advanced reef break that’s inconsistent at the best of times, and the forecast is mostly a washout for the next 16 days. There’s no standout session, no real pulse of clean swell, and the wind is almost always from the wrong angle. It’s a tough read.
The water is sitting at a notable 75°F right now, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year.
We start off on Thursday, 23 July with a small, weak S swell of 4ft and a period of 13 seconds (moderate, 679 energy). The wind is onshore from the W at 9 mph, so it’s blown out. Not a good look.
Moving into Friday, 24 July and Saturday, 25 July, the swell drops to 2ft–3ft from the SW/SSW. Periods are long at 21–24 seconds (moderate energy, 668–924) which hints at some deeper groundswell, but the cross-onshore wind from the SW and WSW at 6–9 mph keeps it choppy and messy. The kind of day you paddle out, look around, and paddle straight back in.
Sunday, 26 July through Tuesday, 28 July sees a slight bump in size to 4ft–5ft from the SSW/SW, with periods around 16–19 seconds (moderate energy, 854–1223). The wind is still cross-onshore or onshore, though lighter on Tuesday at 6 mph from the WSW. Still, the wave comment says “marginal” across the board. It’s not surfable in any meaningful way.
From Wednesday, 29 July right through to Friday, 7 August, the trend is downhill. Sizes slowly drop from 4ft down to 2ft–2ft, periods shorten, and the energy fades to weak levels (as low as 172). The wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the comments are “poor surf conditions” or “marginal.” There’s a brief spike on 31 July with a 6ft S swell (14 seconds, 1406 energy) and again on 1 August with 7ft S swell (13 seconds, 1482 energy), but the wind is cross-onshore at 9 mph, making it a messy, lumpy mess. That’s expert territory at that size, but with the wind, it’s just not worth it.
The entire 16-day window is a write-off. There’s nothing here that’s even close to a good wave. If you’re a kiter, maybe the choppier days with the onshore breeze would be worth a look, but for paddle surfing, save your energy.
This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sun morning. Warm (max 25°C on Sat morning, min 21°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon morning, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 13 | S 13 | SW 24 | SSW 24 | SSW 21 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 414 | 408 | 563 | 368 | 799 | 799 | 628 | 1100 | 863 | 735 | 915 | 1056 | 1153 | 780 | 1133 | 907 | 926 | 612 | 724 | 706 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 5:40PM1.94m | 8:29AM1.38m | 6:30PM2.00m | 9:01AM1.44m | 7:13PM2.07m | 9:27AM1.49m | 7:52PM2.15m | 9:52AM1.52m | 8:29PM2.22m | 10:17AM1.56m | 9:03PM2.25m | 10:42AM1.59m | 9:36PM2.24m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:31AM0.51m | 11:59AM1.25m | 2:10AM0.41m | 12:55PM1.23m | 2:44AM0.32m | 1:39PM1.18m | 3:16AM0.25m | 2:16PM1.12m | 3:46AM0.20m | 2:52PM1.07m | 4:15AM0.19m | 3:27PM1.02m | 4:42AM0.21m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — |
 | 7:53 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 |
Feels °C | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 21 | SSW 21 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 414 | 408 | 299 | 217 | 799 | 799 | 628 | 1100 | 863 | 735 | 915 | 1056 | 1153 | 780 | 1133 | 907 | 926 | 612 | 724 | 706 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | SSW 11 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 7 | W 8 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 7 |
| kJ | 94 | 100 | 112 | 83 | 133 | 45 | 44 | 33 | 91 | 72 | 47 | 74 | 55 | 26 | 39 | 56 | 60 | 85 | 66 | 39 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 26 | SW 26 | SW 24 | SSW 24 | W 7 | SSW 10 | S 10 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 9 | S 9 | SSW 12 | S 10 | S 19 | SSE 15 | S 18 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 |
| kJ | 171 | 171 | 563 | 368 | 43 | 80 | 48 | 99 | 52 | 47 | 47 | 23 | 15 | 27 | 8 | 188 | 21 | 162 | 39 | 66 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 41 | 0 | 116 | 42 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 4 | 19 | 89 | 19 | 89 | 89 | 0 | 116 | 42 | 4 | 19 | 89 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Seaside Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Seaside Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Seaside Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Seaside Reef 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 (Seaside Reef) 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 Seaside Reef 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.
Seaside Reef is 1 km (1 miles) from the city of Encinitas. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Encinitas. Encinitas has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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