Surf Forecasts:
Sunset Beach surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 14s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 15s period, S swell with 2,479 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Sunset Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Sunset Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s is also forecast. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Sunset Beach in the next 16 days are 2.4m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sunset Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, listen up. The surf rundown for the next couple weeks at Sunset Beach isn't pretty. We've got a long stretch of tiny, weak waves and onshore winds that are going to make you question why you even brought your board. We're talking a week or more of nothing worth getting wet for.
The water is running at 75° with an anomaly a touch over 8° warmer than normal. That's a big deal, but it doesn't save these waves.
Right now, and for the next few days until September 5th, it's just knee-high mush. Poor conditions with light onshore breezes. Don't even bother.
Saturday the 5th sees the swell push up to about 4ft, but it's still junky and messy. You'll be frothing for nothing.
Then Sunday the 6th rolls around. That's where we get our one real shot. The swell builds to 6ft out of the south, with a period of 14 seconds. The wind swings offshore in the afternoon and the ocean cleans right up. That's your window. The energy is cranking at 1337, and for a sandbar that's still fairly consistent, this is as good as it gets.
Monday the 7th brings us the biggest swell of the bunch at 8ft, but the wind is going to mess with it. A morning cross-offshore keeps it semi-clean, but the afternoon goes cross-shore and the energy drops. Plus, that's well into expert-only territory. The long period could also make it close out on the sandbar. If you're not a pro, the Sunday afternoon session is your best bet.
From Tuesday the 8th on, it’s a steep drop back into the dumps. The swell is falling, winds are choppy, and by the 9th we're back to ankle-biters. The rest of the fortnight through the 16th is just small, weak, and unappealing.
The bottom line: Sunday afternoon, September 6th. Be there. The rest is a blank. It's a tough forecast, but with this warm water and the swell showing some signs of life, things can change. Stay tuned.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 19°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 21°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 11 | S 11 | W 6 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 17 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSE 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 15 | S 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 99 | 83 | 65 | 132 | 142 | 193 | 116 | 327 | 497 | 448 | 566 | 532 | 485 | 561 | 747 | 1099 | 1303 | 1860 | 2474 | 2160 | 1465 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 12:12PM2.05m | 1:05AM1.40m | 12:55PM2.04m | 2:49AM1.24m | 1:54PM2.02m | 6:07AM1.26m | 3:18PM2.01m | 7:16AM1.39m | 4:50PM2.06m | 7:46AM1.52m | 6:05PM2.17m | 8:14AM1.65m | 7:04PM2.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:10PM0.65m | 6:04AM0.96m | 8:30PM0.65m | 6:31AM1.11m | 10:12PM0.59m | 7:12AM1.26m | 11:41PM0.45m | 10:05AM1.33m | 00:44AM0.29m | 11:53AM1.25m | 1:32AM0.17m | 12:59PM1.09m | 2:12AM0.11m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | |  |  |  | | |
 | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:12 | — | — | 7:10 | — | — | 7:09 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 26 |
Feels °C | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 12 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSE 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 15 | S 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 83 | 83 | 29 | 24 | 142 | 61 | 51 | 327 | 497 | 448 | 566 | 532 | 485 | 561 | 747 | 1099 | 1303 | 1860 | 2474 | 2160 | 1465 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 10 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | W 6 | W 6 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 20 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 99 | 67 | 47 | 95 | 127 | 147 | 98 | 56 | 48 | 50 | 237 | 443 | 387 | 387 | 392 | 15 | 22 | 21 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SW 15 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | W 5 | W 5 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 11 | W 12 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 15 | 50 | 65 | 132 | 35 | 193 | 116 | 38 | 55 | 58 | 15 | 7 | 41 | 18 | 28 | 18 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 5 | W 6 | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 14 | 49 | — | 15 | — | — | 32 | — | — | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 140 | 86 | 0 | 23 | 95 | 46 | 32 | 140 | 32 | 32 | 95 | 0 | 140 | 95 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 57 | 15 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Sunset Beach 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 Sunset Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Sunset Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Sunset Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Sunset Beach 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 (Sunset Beach) 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 Sunset Beach 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.
Sunset Beach is 4 km (2 miles) from the city of Seal Beach. If you plan a vacation in Orange County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Seal Beach. Seal Beach has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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