South Padre Island Surf Break

Lat Long: 26.67° N 97.29° W

South Padre Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 pm 07 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's South Padre Island sea temperature is
29.1° C
0.4° 

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


South Padre Island surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, SE swell with 77 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for South Padre Island this week:

The most powerful waves expected at South Padre Island in the next 16 days are 1.1m 6s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (CDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 4PM (Thu 13th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 6s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for South Padre Island over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for grabbing a decent wave. We've got a long stretch of blown-out, weak surf ahead, so you might want to keep the board in the car and the fins in the bag for a while.

The whole window is littered with small, short-period swell, almost always coming in from the ESE or SE, which is cross-onshore for our main spot. The water's sitting at a warm 84°, that’s about average for this time of year, so at least you won't need a hood. But the wind is the real killer here. It's just constant, messing up what little energy there is.

The first few days, starting Friday the 7th, are a total write-off. We're talking ankle-biters at 1ft to 2ft with periods around 5-6 seconds. The energy is weak, with values in the low double digits, and the wind is just chopping it all up. It's not even worth paddling out for a float. The swell stays tiny through the weekend, and while the wind backs off a touch on Sunday morning, the surf is still poor.

As we move into the start of the next week, things get a little bigger but not any better. By Monday afternoon the swell pushes up to 3ft, and by Wednesday the 12th we're seeing 4ft, but the wind is howling at 25 mph and just destroying any chance of a clean face. The energy picks up a bit, hitting the low 70s on Wednesday, but it's all messy, lumpy, and cross-onshore. This isn't surfable for a beginner, and even for more experienced folks, it's just a battle against the wind for shoddy, sectiony waves.

It's the same story day after day. The swell stays around the 3ft mark, and the wind is a constant cross-onshore blow. There's a moment on the morning of the 16th when the wind drops to 9 mph, but the swell is still only 3ft at 7 seconds and the comment is "fairly choppy". Not exactly a standout. The energy does start to climb later in the week, getting into the 100s by Tuesday the 18th, but it's still coming with a strength-sapping 19 mph onshore breeze.

Honestly, looking at this whole 16-day run, there isn't one day that stands out as a good surf. The swell is too weak, too short-period, and the wind is just relentless. For South Padre Island (a beach/jetty setup), all this onshore wind and small, weak swell means it's going to be a frustrating period for anyone on a surfboard.

If anything, the setup looks far more interesting for the kite surfers out there. When it's 3ft and lumpy with a solid cross-onshore breeze, that's more of a kite window than a paddle window.

It's a rough stretch, no doubt. But this place can turn on a dime. With the forecast confidence being what it is, and the patterns we see, it always tends not to stay poor for long. Just keep an eye on the charts; a change is coming eventually. But for now, save your energy.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Fri afternoon, min 27°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Sat morning, fresh winds from the ESE by Sun afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Tue morning, min 27°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds.

Friday
7
Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
ESE
6
0.5
ESE
6
0.6
ESE
4
0.4
ESE
5
0.5
E
5
0.5
E
4
0.4
ESE
4
0.6
E
5
0.7
ESE
4
0.6
ESE
5
0.9
SE
5
0.9
SE
5
0.7
ESE
5
1
SE
4
0.8
SE
4
0.8
SE
5
1.2
SE
5
1
ESE
6
0.9
SE
6
1.1
SE
6
1.1
SE
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
12
17
11
9
13
7
7
16
16
21
31
36
25
38
29
34
74
68
49
77
75
Wind (km/h)
15
SE
25
ESE
25
SE
10
E
20
ESE
20
SE
15
SSE
25
ESE
30
SSE
25
SE
30
SE
25
SSE
25
SE
30
SE
25
SSE
30
SSE
40
SE
30
SSE
30
SSE
35
SE
35
SSE
Wind State
cross-on
on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
3:49AM0.65m
4:26AM0.68m
5:03AM0.68m
5:36AM0.66m
6:01AM0.61m
1:39PM0.57m
6:16AM0.56m
3:13PM0.56m
Low Tide
5:14PM0.08m
6:20PM0.03m
7:23PM-0.01m
8:23PM-0.02m
9:19PM0.00m
10:26AM0.55m
10:12PM0.05m
10:40AM0.48m
11:01PM0.13m
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:56
6:56
6:56
6:58
6:58
6:58
6:58
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:12
8:10
8:10
8:09
8:08
8:07
8:07
 mm
Temp °C
28
29
28
29
29
28
28
28
28
28
28
28
29
28
28
28
28
28
28
28
28
Feels °C
31
30
30
33
31
29
31
29
29
30
28
29
30
28
29
29
27
30
29
27
28
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the South Padre Island Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for South Padre Island provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at South Padre Island can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our South Padre Island 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 Padre Island) 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 Padre Island 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 Padre Island is 66 km (41 miles) from Harlingen. If you plan a vacation in Texas, look for hotels and other accommodation in Harlingen. Harlingen has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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