Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 11s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period, SSW swell with 326 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 11s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Depressions this week:
The surf forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Depressions in the next 16 days are 0.9m 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be real upfront: the outlook for Depressions over the next 16 days is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of mostly poor surf conditions, with a few very brief windows where it might be rideable, but nothing that’s going to get the heart pumping. The first real glimmer of anything surfable doesn’t show up until the morning of Tuesday, September 1st, and even then, it’s pretty ordinary.
The water is running much warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 70°F.
From Wednesday, August 26th right through to the end of the month, the story is mostly poor surf with a mix of onshore and cross-onshore winds. The swell is small and messy, with a few pulses of longer period groundswell that just get chopped up by the wind. The combined swell energy is moderate at best, hitting 373 on Wednesday morning, but the wind is onshore so it’s a no-go. There’s a window of glassy conditions on the morning of Tuesday, September 1st, with a 3ft SSE swell at 13 seconds. The combined energy is 265 (moderate), and the wind is glassy, which is a major positive. It’s the closest thing to a clean wave in the whole run, but the waves are described as "surfable but very ordinary." It’s small, it’s inconsistent, and the quality is just not there. That morning is your best bet, but only if you’re desperate for a paddle.
The rest of the first week of September is a mix of poor to marginal conditions, with moderate combined swell energy (hitting 625 on the morning of the 3rd) but the wind is always onshore or cross-onshore, ruining the shape. The second week, from the 5th to the 10th of September, is more of the same: small, weak swells, mostly cross-onshore winds, and long-period groundswell that just doesn’t have the power or the right wind to make anything worthwhile at a beach break. The combined energy drops right down to 145 and 155 by the 7th and 8th, which is weak.
Honestly, this is a blank run. The only real standout, if you can call it that, is the glassy morning on Tuesday, September 1st. It’s not much, but it’s the only time the stars line up for a clean, small session. For the rest, it’s a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 34°C on Fri afternoon, min 25°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Sat afternoon, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | WNW 8 | S 11 | WNW 6 | SW 16 | WNW 6 | SW 18 | WNW 9 | WNW 6 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | S 11 | S 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 212 | 189 | 126 | 130 | 121 | 181 | 96 | 126 | 312 | 302 | 245 | 255 | 249 | 218 | 218 | 116 | 117 | 125 | 109 | 91 | 141 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 10:09AM1.59m | 9:10PM2.11m | 10:30AM1.66m | 9:45PM2.07m | 10:51AM1.73m | 10:22PM1.99m | 11:14AM1.81m | 11:01PM1.86m | 11:39AM1.87m | 11:45PM1.70m | 12:07PM1.93m | 00:36AM1.51m | 12:42PM1.96m | 1:45AM1.33m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:05PM0.98m | 4:07AM0.27m | 3:43PM0.89m | 4:32AM0.32m | 4:22PM0.81m | 4:56AM0.41m | 5:03PM0.74m | 5:19AM0.53m | 5:49PM0.69m | 5:43AM0.68m | 6:42PM0.65m | 6:08AM0.82m | 7:45PM0.63m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:24 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 33 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 20 |
Feels °C | 32 | 32 | 29 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 10 | WNW 7 | S 9 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | S 11 | S 12 |
| kJ | 212 | 189 | 75 | 130 | 79 | 77 | 94 | 26 | 312 | 302 | 206 | 255 | 249 | 218 | 218 | 47 | 117 | 125 | 109 | 91 | 141 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SSE 11 | S 10 | S 11 | SW 14 | S 9 | SW 16 | S 18 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 48 | 48 | 126 | 51 | 121 | 65 | 28 | 68 | 152 | 91 | 127 | 124 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 98 | 75 | 68 | 8 | 5 | 79 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | S 12 | SW 14 | W 11 | SW 16 | S 19 | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | W 11 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 5 |
| kJ | 124 | 85 | 75 | 75 | 73 | 22 | 66 | 66 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 116 | 10 | 5 | 44 | 17 | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | W 4 | WNW 4 | — | SSE 3 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 181 | 96 | 126 | 172 | 281 | 245 | 181 | 216 | 195 | 70 | 25 | 20 | 15 | — | 2 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 118 | 1 | 0 | 118 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 310 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Depressions 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 Depressions Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Depressions provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Depressions can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Depressions 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 (Depressions) 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 Depressions 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.
Depressions is 1 km (1 miles) from Isla Vista. If you plan a vacation in Santa Barbara, look for hotels and other accommodation in Isla Vista. Isla Vista has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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