Surf Forecasts:
South Del Mar surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with 481 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 13s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for South Del Mar this week:
The surf forecast for South Del Mar over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at South Del Mar in the next 16 days are 1.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 2AM. 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+) | 5AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for South Del Mar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright crew, Rusty here with the lowdown on South Del Mar. Looking at the next couple of weeks, I’m not gonna lie – it’s a quiet stretch. The whole 16-day window is a tough nut to crack, with no proper standouts to get excited about. The swell is small, and the wind keeps working against us.
We’re starting off with a long run of poor conditions. From Friday the 7th right through the middle of the week, it’s basically a no-go. The swell is tiny, just 2ft to 3ft from the SSW, and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, chopping up any chance of a clean wave. The wave energy is moderate, but it’s not showing up as anything rideable. You’d be wasting your time.
Things look a little better around Sunday the 16th. We get a slight bump in swell, hitting about 3ft from the SSW, with a period of 14-15 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, which for a reef like South Del Mar means more energy but longer waits between sets. The wind finally lightens up and turns offshore, which is a big win for clean conditions. The water temp is about average for this time of year. The energy is moderate (combined energy 552), and the forecast is still just marginal. It’s not a day to plan around, but it’s the best we’ve got in the first week.
The second week stays similar. Around Friday the 21st, we see another 3ft SSW swell with a 15-16 second period, and light cross-onshore breezes. The energy ticks up a bit (combined energy 608), but it’s still only marginal. Crowds are a real factor here – South Del Mar is a beginner-friendly reef that breaks fairly consistently, so when there’s any wave, you’ll have company. Expect to share the peak.
For the whole 16 days, there’s nothing that’s calling you to the water. The swell is just too small, and the wind rarely cooperates. If you’ve got the itch, the mornings of the 16th and 21st are your best bet, but keep the expectations real low. It’s a flat spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sat morning, min 20°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon afternoon, min 22°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SSW 19 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 126 | 329 | 205 | 438 | 336 | 291 | 481 | 309 | 305 | 297 | 207 | 186 | 184 | 129 | 319 | 316 | 230 | 264 | 306 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:46AM1.26m | 4:52PM2.10m | 7:50AM1.38m | 6:01PM2.23m | 8:30AM1.50m | 7:02PM2.36m | 9:05AM1.60m | 7:55PM2.46m | 9:38AM1.70m | 8:44PM2.49m | 10:12AM1.79m | 9:30PM2.43m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:46PM0.56m | 9:33AM1.20m | 00:52AM0.35m | 11:21AM1.22m | 1:44AM0.16m | 12:39PM1.15m | 2:29AM0.02m | 1:40PM1.04m | 3:10AM-0.05m | 2:33PM0.92m | 3:48AM-0.05m | 3:22PM0.82m | 4:24AM0.03m | ||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | |
 | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
Feels °C | 22 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SSW 19 | SSW 13 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 106 | 329 | 147 | 438 | 336 | 291 | 481 | 309 | 305 | 297 | 207 | 139 | 137 | 129 | 319 | 316 | 230 | 264 | 306 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 19 | SW 12 | SW 12 | W 12 | W 4 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 12 |
| kJ | 126 | 151 | 205 | 148 | 69 | 12 | 10 | 47 | 30 | 42 | 103 | 186 | 184 | 75 | 103 | 47 | 61 | 61 | 44 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 4 | W 4 | W 12 | W 15 | S 9 | S 13 | SSW 12 | WNW 4 | SW 21 | SSW 11 | W 4 | SW 16 | WNW 12 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 13 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 10 |
| kJ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 56 | 7 | 72 | 12 | 1 | 39 | 28 | 112 | 47 | 45 | 50 | 47 | 20 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | W 4 | SW 12 | — | — | WNW 5 | — | — | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 144 | — | — | 7 | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 35 | 36 | 0 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 13 | 83 | 0 | 138 | 36 | 0 | 120 | 36 | 81 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego 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)
Latest Updates
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 South Del Mar 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 South Del Mar Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for South Del Mar provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at South Del Mar can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our South Del Mar 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 (South Del Mar) 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 South Del Mar 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.
South Del Mar is 5 km (3 miles) from the very large 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 cheap car hire and transport links.
Nearest