Surf Forecasts:
The Wedge surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period, SSW swell with 751 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Wedge this week:
The surf forecast for The Wedge over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m 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 The Wedge in the next 16 days are 1.1m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Wedge over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for The Wedge over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be real with you—this stretch is a bit of a slow burn. The first few days are flat out dismal, with tiny swell and a heap of poor surf conditions. You’re looking at a solid gap of poor to marginal stuff from Saturday 22nd right through to Monday 25th August. The swell is knee-high at best, around 1ft to 2ft, with periods all over the shop, but mostly long-period groundswell (15 to 19 seconds) which would normally be a treat—but there’s just no size behind it. Winds are light and cross-shore, which is nice, but the wave energy is weak (158 to 387), so it’s not worth paddling out.
Come Wednesday 26th August, we start seeing a lift. The swell picks up to 4ft from the S on Wednesday morning, with a period of 13 seconds and a combined energy hitting 758 (moderate). But here’s the catch—the wind swings onshore from the SSE at 9 mph, making things choppy and messy. That’s a pass for me. Afternoon gets worse with straight onshore S wind. This pattern of onshore junk continues through Thursday and Friday, with surf quality staying poor. The energy drops but the wind direction keeps it ugly.
Now, Saturday 29th August afternoon finally brings a little hope. The swell holds at 4ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, and the wind turns light cross-onshore from the WSW at 6 mph. The combined energy pushes up to 721 (moderate). It’s still marginal—tide or conditions might not align perfectly—but it’s the first real chance at something rideable after a week of nothing. Sunday the 30th keeps that theme going: 3ft SSW swell, long 15-second period, and light morning winds. Still marginal, but cleaner with some cross-shore afternoon wind.
The standout window, if we’re talking the best on offer, looks to be Saturday 5th September and Sunday 6th September. By then, the swell is sitting consistently around 4ft to 4ft from the SSW, with periods of 15 to 16 seconds. The winds are light cross-shore from the W and WSW at 6 to 9 mph. Combined energy is strong, hitting 691 to 784 (moderate). That’s about as good as it gets in this outlook. The Wedge is a breakwater that needs that SSW swell, and it matches the optimum direction perfectly. Just keep in mind, this spot is fairly consistent but can get crowded often, and it’s advanced-only—these are expert waves, especially as the swell touches 4ft. The long period (over 15 seconds) will make the waves shape up nicely on this point/reef setup, but at a beach break it might straighten out—here it should be fine.
For beginners, steer clear. Anything over 5ft is too much, and we don’t hit that here, but the power and crowd pressure make it no-go for learners. For experts, the latter part of the first week of September is your window.
Water temp on the first surf recommendation (Saturday 22nd) is 70°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year (anomaly of 3°F). Nothing extreme, just a little balmy.
Alright, I’ll call it: Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September are the standouts. Decent SSW swell, light cross-shore winds, moderate energy, and the right direction for The Wedge. Earlier windows are marginal at best, and the first week is mostly a write-off. Keep an eye on the forecasts—things can change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Tue afternoon, min 23°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | SSW 14 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
121 | 165 | 127 | 112 | 213 | 163 | 142 | 224 | 216 | 146 | 503 | 555 | 416 | 322 | 220 | 159 | 204 | 267 | 212 | 629 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | glassy | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross | cross | on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 6:20PM1.55m | 8:47AM1.14m | 7:07PM1.65m | 9:01AM1.19m | 7:45PM1.75m | 9:18AM1.24m | 8:19PM1.81m | 9:36AM1.31m | 8:52PM1.84m | 9:57AM1.39m | 9:24PM1.83m | 10:19AM1.47m | 9:58PM1.76m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:57AM0.08m | 1:03PM0.88m | 2:28AM0.01m | 1:39PM0.78m | 2:55AM-0.05m | 2:12PM0.67m | 3:19AM-0.08m | 2:44PM0.57m | 3:43AM-0.08m | 3:17PM0.48m | 4:05AM-0.05m | 3:52PM0.41m | 4:29AM0.02m | |||||||
— | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 25 |
Feels °C | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 17 |
121 | 165 | 18 | 98 | 213 | 163 | 142 | 224 | 216 | 146 | 503 | 555 | 416 | 322 | 220 | 159 | 109 | 80 | 58 | 629 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | SSW 13 | W 6 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | S 13 | S 13 | SW 16 | W 7 | W 7 | SW 16 | SW 15 | W 7 | SW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | S 8 |
10 | 9 | 99 | 10 | 155 | 154 | 50 | 126 | 89 | 127 | 56 | 44 | 122 | 104 | 25 | 74 | 204 | 267 | 212 | 35 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | W 5 | W 6 | S 14 | W 5 | W 6 | S 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 6 | W 8 | SW 14 | W 9 | SW 13 | W 7 | SW 14 | W 10 |
27 | 58 | 127 | 112 | 12 | 16 | 66 | 13 | 16 | 87 | 124 | 159 | 19 | 19 | 103 | 24 | 63 | 15 | 89 | 49 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 24 | — | — | 15 | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 94 | 0 | 60 | 119 | 0 | 39 | 170 | 0 | 116 | 116 | 33 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 60 | 0 | 53 | 116 | 26 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Orange 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)
Information about the The Wedge Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Wedge provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Wedge can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Wedge 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 Wedge) 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 Wedge 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 Wedge is 5 km (3 miles) from the city of Newport Beach. If you plan a vacation in Orange County, look for hotels and other accommodation in Newport Beach. Newport Beach has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











