South Padre Island Surf Break

Lat Long: 26.67° N 97.29° W

South Padre Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 am 23 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's South Padre Island sea temperature is
28.4° C
0.1° 

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 23 Jul 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 5s period, SE swell with 90 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 1.3m 5s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) 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 (Fri 24th Jul)4.5ft (1.3m) 5s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be honest, lookin' at the charts for the next 16 days, it's a tough stretch for South Padre Island. The wind is a constant problem – it's just never gonna let up for clean waves. This is more of a 'leave the boards in the car and watch the kite surfers' kind of forecast.

First up, Thursday the 23rd. We get a moment of glass, but it's attached to a risk of thunderstorms. The swell is a joke at 0.7 ft from the E with a period of 7 seconds, so the combined energy is a measly 8. Not worth paddling out for. The water temp is a pleasant 83°, which is bang on normal for this time of year.

That's the only bit of glass you'll see for a while. From Friday the 24th all the way through Wednesday the 6th of August, it's a brutal run of cross-onshore winds. We're talking fresh breezes, strong breezes, and lumpy, choppy, messy conditions day after day. The swell does try to build a little around the 5th of August, with the morning showing 5 ft from the SE and a period of 7 seconds, giving a combined energy of 168. That's the most energy we'll see, but with that wind it's gonna be a bumpy, blown-out mess. Even the Thursday the 6th of August has 4 ft SE swell with 125 energy, but again, the wind ruins it.

Truth is, there's no standout day here. The conditions are just too poor for a proper session. Every single day is scored as "poor surf conditions". This is one of those stretches where the area just flat out doesn't deliver. The best advice I can give is to keep an eye on the charts, because this long a stretch of poor surf can't last forever.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Thu night. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 27°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sun morning, min 27°C on Sun morning). Mainly fresh winds.

Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
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)
0.2
E
7
0.6
SE
3
1
SE
6
1.1
SE
6
1.3
SE
5
1
ESE
6
0.8
ESE
6
0.9
SE
6
0.7
ESE
6
0.6
ESE
6
0.8
ESE
7
0.8
SE
4
0.7
SE
6
0.9
SE
4
0.9
SE
4
0.7
SE
5
1
SE
4
0.9
SE
4
0.6
SE
5
0.8
SE
4
0.7
SE
4
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
4
8
61
72
90
62
46
68
32
21
57
23
30
29
31
27
39
29
18
18
17
Wind (km/h)
5
S
35
SE
35
SSE
35
SE
30
SE
30
SE
15
SE
20
ESE
20
SE
20
SSE
30
SE
30
SSE
25
SSE
35
SE
35
S
30
SSE
35
SE
30
SSE
25
SE
30
SE
25
SSE
Wind State
glassy
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
5:04AM0.60m
5:20AM0.61m
5:39AM0.61m
5:58AM0.61m
6:17AM0.60m
6:33AM0.59m
Low Tide
6:15PM0.14m
7:00PM0.12m
7:42PM0.11m
8:22PM0.09m
9:00PM0.09m
9:36PM0.10m
10:11PM0.11m
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:48
6:48
6:50
6:50
6:50
6:50
6:52
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:21
8:21
8:20
8:20
8:19
8:19
8:17
 mm
1
3
10
Temp °C
28
28
28
28
28
28
28
28
28
28
28
27
28
28
27
28
28
28
28
28
27
Feels °C
32
26
28
28
28
29
30
30
30
30
28
28
28
27
27
27
27
29
30
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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