Surf Forecasts:
Terra Mar surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 14s period, SSW swell with 1,127 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Terra Mar this week:
The surf forecast for Terra Mar over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Terra Mar in the next 16 days are 1.7m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 8AM. 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+) | 8AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Terra Mar over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s cooking at Terra Mar.
Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a grind. We’ve got small, weak swells and mostly cross-onshore winds keeping things choppy and messy. The water temp is sitting at 71°, which is a touch warmer than we’d expect for this time of year – not a game-changer, but something to feel on the skin.
Now, the first real glimmer comes in on the morning of Wednesday, August 26th. The swell builds to 4ft from the south-southwest with a 13-second period, and the wind is light and onshore. The combined swell energy hits (756) – solid moderate energy. It’s still a little marginal on quality, but this is the first session that has a pulse.
The standout window looks to be the afternoon of Thursday, August 27th through the morning of Friday, August 28th. On that Thursday afternoon, we’ve got 5ft of south-southwest groundswell at 14 seconds, with light onshore wind. The energy jumps to (1020) – that’s strong wave energy for this spot. Early Friday morning hangs in there with 5ft from the same direction (877 energy), also with light onshore flow. The wave period over 11 seconds means these are proper groundswell lines. At a point break like Terra Mar, that longer-period swell will wrap in nicely and offer some clean-faced waves, but be aware it may close out a bit at the beachy sections. This is the best on offer – decent height, good period, and the wind isn’t trashing it.
The early part of September sees the swell drop back down to below 3ft. There’s a short pulse on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 3rd with 2ft from the southwest and a long 18-second period (522 energy), but it’s small and marginal. Through to the end of the forecast on September 4th, we’re back to tiny 3ft swell and onshore breezes – pretty meager.
The biggest takeaway: if you want the cleanest, most powerful surf, point your board at Thursday afternoon, August 27th. That 5ft SSW swell with light onshore wind and strong energy is the one to circle. It won’t be perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got.
Stay salty,
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sat morning, min 21°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sun morning, 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 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 239 | 236 | 175 | 156 | 137 | 98 | 92 | 167 | 218 | 177 | 155 | 269 | 197 | 179 | 273 | 216 | 225 | 411 | 480 | 958 | 980 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:47PM1.80m | 8:25AM1.36m | 5:06PM1.83m | 8:27AM1.43m | 6:08PM1.91m | 8:41AM1.49m | 6:56PM2.01m | 8:58AM1.55m | 7:35PM2.10m | 9:16AM1.61m | 8:10PM2.17m | 9:35AM1.68m | 8:44PM2.20m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 00:19AM0.65m | 10:09AM1.35m | 1:10AM0.54m | 11:57AM1.32m | 1:47AM0.43m | 12:51PM1.24m | 2:18AM0.34m | 1:31PM1.14m | 2:46AM0.27m | 2:06PM1.04m | 3:12AM0.24m | 2:40PM0.94m | 3:36AM0.24m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 |
Feels °C | 24 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 7 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 14 | W 6 | SW 17 | W 6 | W 6 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 239 | 236 | 175 | 156 | 137 | 98 | 32 | 167 | 218 | 41 | 26 | 269 | 27 | 179 | 44 | 51 | 225 | 411 | 480 | 958 | 980 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | W 6 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 |
| kJ | 27 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 92 | 27 | 25 | 99 | 98 | 21 | 197 | 85 | 273 | 216 | 163 | 107 | 73 | 43 | 73 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | WSW 19 | S 10 | SW 18 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | W 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 14 | W 13 |
| kJ | 57 | 35 | 8 | 81 | 51 | 49 | 81 | 56 | 58 | 177 | 155 | 199 | 89 | 66 | 126 | 128 | 6 | 159 | 203 | 16 | 31 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | — | 78 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 61 | 61 | 39 | 61 | 61 | 0 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 60 | 60 | 5 | 61 | 60 | 0 | 61 | 61 | 0 | 39 | 170 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in San Diego County | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Terra 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 Terra Mar Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Terra Mar provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Terra Mar can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Terra 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 (Terra 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 Terra 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.
Terra Mar is 1 km (1 miles) from the city of Oceanside. If you plan a vacation in San Diego County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Oceanside. Oceanside has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest