Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, same story but in feet and knots.

Honestly, the outlook is a bit of a tough one. We’ve got a long run of days where the conditions just aren’t coming together for a proper paddle. The swell is small, the winds are mostly cross-onshore, and the quality is consistently poor. The first good opportunity we see doesn’t pop up until the 4th of September, and even then it's only a marginal call.

Let’s start with the only break on offer: Depressions. The water is running at 71°F – that’s about 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year, which is very unusual, so you’ll be comfortable without a thick suit. The combined wave energy is moderate at best, sitting around 156 for the first session, which is low-energy stuff.

Wednesday, 2nd September – we’re looking at a 1ft SW swell with a very long 16-second period. That’s a groundswell, but the wind is a light cross-onshore from the WSW at 6 mph, which keeps things messy. The morning has small wind ripples, and the afternoon gets choppier with a 16 mph W wind. Forget it for a proper session.

Thursday, 3rd September – similar story. Swell bumps up to 2ft Thursday morning, still SW, still long period at 15 seconds, but the cross-onshore breeze (WSW 6 mph) kills it. Afternoon gets worse with moderate cross-onshore chop.

Friday, 4th September – finally, a glimmer. Morning shows a 3ft SSW swell, 17-second period, and the wind is onshore but light at 6 mph. The combined energy jumps to 533 – that’s moderate wave energy. The wave comment says it’s marginal, but this is the best we’ve seen so far. A light onshore wind might leave some clean-ish faces for a hopeful surfer. Still, the afternoon goes back to choppy.

Saturday, 5th September – similar pattern. Morning has 2ft SSW swell with 16-second period, light onshore wind from the SW. Energy is 341. Afternoon picks up to 3ft with 574 energy. It’s marginal, but with light winds, you could find a few. Consistency is ‘fairly consistent’ here, so it’s not a total gamble.

Sunday, 6th September – the morning looks the most promising of the whole run. 3ft SSE swell, 14-second period, light onshore SSW wind at 6 mph. Combined energy is 489. It’s still labelled marginal, but with that long period groundswell and light wind, Depressions could offer some clean lines. The break is a fairly exposed spot, and the optimum swell direction is WSW – the SSE swell isn’t a perfect match, but it’s not bad.

From the 7th onward, everything starts fading. Monday the 7th has a 4ft S swell but the afternoon gets a gentle cross-onshore breeze. The 8th and 9th are all poor. By the 11th of September we get a weird spike: a 8ft WNW swell with only a 7-second period – that’s a short-period windswell, and a fresh 19 mph cross-shore wind will make it lumpy and un-rideable. That setup is more for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The second week is a wash. The 12th through the 17th show tiny swell (2ft to 5ft) and mostly poor conditions. The 17th of September afternoon does have a 2ft SW swell with a very long 21-second period and energy of 523, but again, the cross-onshore wind and poor surf quality rating means it’s not worth getting excited about.

So, the standout is Friday morning, 4th September and Sunday morning, 6th September – those are your best shots at a few clean-ish waves. It’s not going to be pumping, but if you’re keen and patient, you might find a couple. Crowds at Depressions are possible, but with this kind of forecast, you’ll probably have plenty of room.

Rusty.

Read more