The Rivermouth surfForecast / CAL – Santa Cruz / USA

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 3 pm Tuesday 23 Dec 2025 PST
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
The Rivermouth surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's The Rivermouth sea temperature is
14.3° C
(Which is 1.7°C warmer than normal for this time of year)


Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Rivermouth this week:

The surf forecast for The Rivermouth over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Dec 27) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at The Rivermouth in the next 12 days are 5.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Dec 26) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Dec 28) at 10PM.

Wave TypeTime (PST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 4PM (Sat 27th Dec)7ft (2.1m) 10s
Best Surf 4PM (Sat 27th Dec)7ft (2.1m) 10s
Most Powerful 4PM (Fri 26th Dec)16ft (5.0m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Rivermouth over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Heavy rain (total 53mm), heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Wed morning, near gales from the S by Thu afternoon).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Fri afternoon, calm by Sun morning).

Tue
23
Wednesday
24
Thursday
25
Friday
26
Saturday
27
Sunday
28
Monday
29
PMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAM
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1
WNW
3.5
S
3
SSW
2.2
SSW
4
S
3.5
SW
3.5
SW
4.5
SW
4.5
WSW
5
W
3.5
W
3
W
2.1
WNW
1.4
WNW
1
WNW
0.8
WNW
0.7
WNW
0.6
WNW
0.1
W
0.3
WNW
0.4
W
Period(s) (?)1291099101011111412111098889141316
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)309217614247242333259826864368530398323601178285030013788584973476
Wind
(km/h)
20
SSE
45
SSE
15
SSW
10
SSE
50
S
35
SSW
40
S
35
SSW
45
S
30
SW
30
SW
5
SSE
5
NE
10
NNE
10
NE
5
N
15
NE
10
NE
10
NE
15
NE
15
NE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
on
ononononcross-
on
oncross-
on
oncross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
offcross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
High Tide
/ height (m)
2:09AM
1.29
11:59AM
1.50
2:39AM
1.34
12:50PM
1.35
3:12AM
1.41
1:54PM
1.19
3:46AM
1.50
3:19PM
1.04
4:24AM
1.61
5:11PM
0.96
5:06AM
1.73
7:12PM
1.01
5:53AM
1.85
Low Tide
/ height (m)
6:24PM
-0.13
6:18AM
1.04
7:00PM
-0.06
7:29AM
0.96
7:38PM
0.06
8:51AM
0.83
8:20PM
0.22
10:11AM
0.63
9:07PM
0.41
11:19AM
0.39
10:04PM
0.61
12:19PM
0.13
11:09PM
0.78
Tue
23
Wednesday
24
Thursday
25
Friday
26
Saturday
27
Sunday
28
Monday
29
Sunrise--7:18--7:18--7:18--7:18--7:20--7:20--7:20
Sunset4:54--4:55--4:57--4:57--4:58--4:58--4:59--
cloud
mod rain
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
light rain
mod rain
mod rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
Rain (mm)
-71320331065122---------
Temp. °C161615151514141212131212141114141016161118
Feels °C (?)13111313885547610128121261313713
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder

Latest Updates

submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for The Rivermouth:

join our community of surf reporters

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 The Rivermouth 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.


false

Information about the The Rivermouth Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for The Rivermouth provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 12 days. A general guide to surfing at The Rivermouth can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Rivermouth 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 (The Rivermouth) 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 The Rivermouth 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.

The Rivermouth is 2 km (1 miles) from Santa Cruz. If you plan a vacation in Santa Cruz, look for hotels and other accommodation in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest