Central Coast Seas Forecast to Build Into Friday Night

Seas between Point Piedras Blancas and Point Sal are forecast to increase heading into Friday night, with stronger northwest winds accompanying the rise, according to the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles/Oxnard office.

The agency’s coastal waters forecast, issued September 23, puts seas within 10 nautical miles of that stretch of coast at 4–6 feet Thursday, increasing to 5–7 feet Friday and 6–8 feet Friday night. Those higher seas are forecast to persist through Saturday before easing Saturday night.

The outlook also includes a separate southerly wave component alongside the larger northwest component, plus periods of patchy fog. The figures apply to the specified marine forecast zone, rather than providing breaking-wave heights for individual surf spots.

Northwest winds strengthen Friday

Thursday begins with light winds in the nearshore zone, followed by west winds of 5–10 knots in the afternoon, according to the weather service. Its wave breakdown lists a northwest component of 5 feet at 10 seconds and a southwest component of 2 feet at 13 seconds. Patchy morning fog is also forecast.

By Thursday night, the forecast shifts to northwest winds of 5–10 knots. Seas remain at 4–6 feet, while the wave details include a south component of 3 feet at 13 seconds.

Friday brings the more pronounced change. Northwest winds are forecast at 5–10 knots initially, increasing to 10–20 knots in the afternoon. The weather service lists a northwest wave component of 6 feet at 9 seconds, alongside south waves of 3 feet at 13 seconds.

On Friday night, northwest winds increase to 15–25 knots before dropping to 10–20 knots after midnight. The northwest component reaches 7 feet at 9 seconds, while the south component increases to 4 feet at 12 seconds. Patchy fog is forecast after midnight.

Higher seas carry into Saturday

Saturday’s forecast maintains seas of 6–8 feet and northwest winds of 10–20 knots. According to the weather service, the wave components are northwest at 6 feet and 9 seconds, and south at 3 feet and 12 seconds. Morning fog remains in the outlook.

Seas ease to 5–7 feet Saturday night and 4–6 feet Sunday, but that decrease is not forecast to last through Sunday night. The agency projects a return to 6–8-foot seas, with northwest winds reaching 15–25 knots before easing after midnight.

Farther offshore, between 10 and 60 nautical miles from Point Piedras Blancas to Point Sal, the same bulletin listed a Small Craft Advisory through 9 p.m. Wednesday. That advisory covered a different zone and time window from the nearshore Friday-night increase.

What it means for surfers

For surfers watching this section of the Central Coast, the forecast’s main developments are the Friday-to-Saturday increase in seas, stronger northwest winds and a continuing southerly wave component.

It is not a beach-specific surf forecast or a forecast for Southern California breaks. The 6–8-foot figures describe seas in the named coastal waters zone; the bulletin does not assign those heights to breaking waves at any particular beach. Its wind and fog outlook also deserves attention alongside the wave numbers when reviewing plans for the weekend.