Surf Forecasts:
Sunset Beach surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 14s period, SSW swell with 622 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 14s period with SSW 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. 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 1.2m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sunset Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks. Rusty here. Let’s cut to the chase – this is a tough go for Sunset Beach (North OC). We’ve got a big ol’ dry spell at the start. From Thursday the 20th of August right through Tuesday the 25th, you’re looking at tiny, wind-scratched waves. Don’t even bother with the board – the cross-onshore breeze is just gonna mess with you for ankle-biters.
The water temp is around 69°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s the only highlight for a while.
Things perk up just a bit around Wednesday the 26th of August. We see a pulse of swell, about 4 ft from the south-southwest (S). The period is a quick 13 seconds, so it won’t be the smoothest, but early morning with light onshore winds (SSW at 6 mph) might give you a marginally rideable wave. The combined energy is moderate (718).
If you’re picking one session, make it Thursday morning the 27th of August. You’ve got about 3 ft of south swell (S) with a light onshore breeze (SSW at 6 mph). Period is still short (12 seconds), so expect a crumbly wall, but it’ll be the cleanest option of the whole outlook. The wave energy is moderate (617). Afternoon sees a bump to 4 ft, but the wind messes it up, so the morning is your only shot.
After that, it’s back to small, messy surf through the 4th of September. The week two window? Basically a bust. The swell tries to build around the 29th and 30th of August (3 ft, SSW, 15-17 sec period), but the afternoon chop kills it. That long period at a beach break like Sunset means waves might jack up and close out, so it’s not for the faint of heart.
Bottom line: this is a 16-day stretch with a whole lot of nothing. The only real window is that Thursday morning (27th of August). It’s far from epic, but if you’re jonesing, that’s your best bet. These long blank runs happen here – just part of the game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sat morning, min 20°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 22°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 12 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 183 | 183 | 175 | 101 | 99 | 99 | 63 | 121 | 165 | 127 | 112 | 213 | 154 | 142 | 224 | 216 | 128 | 248 | 503 | 617 | 622 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:53PM1.82m | 8:28AM1.37m | 5:11PM1.85m | 8:33AM1.44m | 6:12PM1.93m | 8:47AM1.50m | 7:00PM2.03m | 9:04AM1.56m | 7:39PM2.12m | 9:22AM1.62m | 8:15PM2.19m | 9:41AM1.69m | 8:49PM2.21m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 00:23AM0.65m | 10:13AM1.36m | 1:14AM0.53m | 12:00PM1.33m | 1:52AM0.43m | 12:55PM1.25m | 2:23AM0.34m | 1:35PM1.16m | 2:51AM0.27m | 2:10PM1.06m | 3:17AM0.24m | 2:45PM0.96m | 3:42AM0.25m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:24 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 23 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 6 | SSW 15 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 14 | W 6 | SW 17 | W 6 | W 6 | S 13 | W 7 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 183 | 183 | 175 | 101 | 99 | 99 | 27 | 121 | 25 | 38 | 24 | 213 | 36 | 142 | 47 | 53 | 128 | 107 | 503 | 617 | 622 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 6 | S 14 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 12 | W 7 | W 14 | W 7 |
| kJ | 26 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 63 | 27 | 165 | 99 | 98 | 24 | 150 | 50 | 224 | 216 | 127 | 248 | 93 | 16 | 88 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SW 19 | S 10 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | S 10 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | W 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 21 | W 13 |
| kJ | 57 | 14 | 8 | 81 | 49 | 51 | 50 | 8 | 58 | 127 | 112 | 155 | 154 | 66 | 89 | 89 | 6 | 124 | 122 | 9 | 31 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | WNW 7 | — | W 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | 35 | — | — | 65 | 186 | — | 65 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 32 | 72 | 0 | 29 | 72 | 0 | 95 | 46 | 11 | 140 | 140 | 15 | 95 | 140 | 19 | 105 | 140 | 23 | 32 | 95 | 32 |
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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