South Del Mar Surf Break

Lat Long: 32.99° N 117.28° W

South Del Mar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 4 am 06 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's South Del Mar sea temperature is
22.5°C
2.3° 

South Del Mar surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


South Del Mar surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 10s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 14s period, SSW swell with 1,399 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 10s period with SSW 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 Tuesday (Sep 08) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 18s. 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 South Del Mar in the next 16 days are 1.9m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Tue 8th Sep)4ft (1.2m) 10s
Best Surf11PM (Tue 8th Sep)3.5ft (1.1m) 10s
Most Powerful 5AM (Mon 7th Sep)6ft (1.9m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for South Del Mar over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming our way over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water is running a good couple of degrees warmer than usual for this time of year, coming in at 73°F, with a anomaly of 4°F. That's a noticeable difference, something to mention when you're paddling out at South Del Mar.

Right now, we've got a bit of a wait on our hands. There's some swell in the water over the next few days, but the wind is just not playing ball. Sunday the 6th sees a south swell pushing 6ft with a 14-second period from the S, giving us a decent amount of energy out there (1388). But with a NNW wind at 12 mph blowing cross-on, it's going to be choppy and a bit of a mess. Monday morning the 7th looks a little cleaner with a lighter WNW offshore at 9 mph, and the swell drops slightly to 6ft from the SSW, still with a 13-second period. That's the best of a tricky bunch early on, but it's not exactly firing, and the score reflects that.

By Tuesday the 8th, the swell is dropping to 5ft from the SSW, period still around 13 seconds, and with a light offshore in the morning, it could be worth a look if you're desperate. The energy is still moderate at 936. After that, the swell fades out pretty quickly, with Wednesday the 9th seeing waist-high 2ft to 3ft stuff from the SW with a very long 16-second period. That long period will make it fat and straight at a beach break, and the wind is light cross-on, so it's not great.

There's a bit of a lull through the middle of the week. Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th offer some 3ft to 3ft SW swell with long periods (15-17 seconds), but the wind is consistently cross-on from the SW or SSW. The energy is dropping too, from 614 down to 443. Not much to get excited about. Saturday the 12th is a write-off with building cross-shore wind and tiny swell. Sunday the 13th has a weird 5ft swell from the W with a short 8-second period, but the wind is cross-on, and the energy is weak at 498. It's a pass.

From Monday the 14th through to the end of the period, we're looking at small, inconsistent surf. Swell heights hover around 2ft to 4ft, mostly from the SW and SSW, with periods that are all over the place, from 8 seconds up to 20 seconds. The wind does go light offshore from the WNW on a few mornings (like the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st), but the swell is just too small and weak to do much with. The energy readings are all below 737, with many days under 500. The standout window for a clean but small wave would be Monday the 21st, with a 3ft to 4ft SW swell, a 16-17 second period, and light offshore wind. That's the pick of a pretty quiet run. But honestly, for the whole 16 days, there's no proper standout that's going to have you clearing your calendar.

This spot is a fairly consistent reef break, but the crowds can be a factor. For the most part, you're looking at marginal conditions with questionable tides or poor surf.

No standout, no big swell to chase. Just small, clean windows if you're happy on a log. For the next week and a half, it's a waiting game.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Sun afternoon, calm by Tue night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Wed morning, min 22°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
2
2
0
2
1
1
2
0
0
2
1
1
2
1
0
1
0
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.9
S
14
1.6
S
13
1.8
SSW
14
1.9
SSW
13
1.8
SSW
12
1.6
SSW
11
1.5
SSW
13
1.2
SSW
11
1
SSW
10
0.6
SW
16
0.8
SW
16
0.9
SW
17
1
SW
17
1
SW
16
1
SW
16
0.9
SW
15
0.9
SW
15
0.9
SW
15
0.7
SW
14
0.6
SW
14
1.6
W
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1342
839
1363
1139
901
615
769
334
186
214
326
419
540
496
483
395
360
309
211
164
360
Wind (km/h)
20
NNW
30
N
15
NW
15
WNW
20
WNW
10
NW
15
WNW
10
WNW
5
N
10
WSW
10
SW
5
SW
15
SW
15
SW
10
SSW
15
SSW
15
SSW
10
S
25
S
20
SSW
15
SSW
Wind State
cross-on
cross
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
glassy
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
High Tide
6:00PM2.14m
8:08AM1.64m
7:00PM2.24m
8:36AM1.76m
7:50PM2.29m
9:04AM1.87m
8:37PM2.28m
9:32AM1.98m
9:20PM2.20m
10:00AM2.05m
10:03PM2.06m
10:28AM2.09m
10:45PM1.88m
Low Tide
11:49AM1.23m
1:26AM0.18m
12:55PM1.08m
2:06AM0.11m
1:47PM0.90m
2:42AM0.11m
2:33PM0.74m
3:15AM0.17m
3:17PM0.61m
3:45AM0.28m
4:00PM0.53m
4:13AM0.43m
4:42PM0.49m
4:39AM0.61m
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:26
6:26
6:26
6:28
6:28
6:28
6:30
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:07
7:06
7:05
7:02
7:01
7:00
6:59
 mm
Temp °C
27
28
27
27
26
25
27
26
26
28
26
24
26
26
24
25
25
23
23
23
22
Feels °C
25
26
26
28
26
26
27
25
27
28
26
25
26
26
25
25
25
24
21
22
23
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for South Del Mar:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest