Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 14s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 15s period, S swell with 447 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s period with SSW 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 5s 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 1.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 12s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve had a good look at what’s coming for Depressions, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the next week and a half is a bit of a tough watch. The first few days are basically a write-off. We’ve got tiny, weak swell and poor conditions, so don’t even bother waxing up until we get past the 26th of August. There’s a real gap here with nothing worth paddling out for.
The first sign of life comes on Wednesday afternoon, the 26th of August. The swell picks up a bit to 3ft from the S with a 14-second period, and the wave energy is moderate (743). Still, it’s only rated as marginal, so it’s not firing. The real standout, the one that’s got me a little excited, is the Saturday morning session on the 29th of August. We’ve got clean, glassy conditions, a 2ft swell from the SSW with a lovely long 17-second period, and the energy is strong (509). For a break like Depressions, that’s a rare combination. The water temp is a whopping 69°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a solid 5°F warmer than average. The offshore wind is light from the SW, and with the long period, expect proper groundswell lines. The setup here is a beach, so that long period might make it a bit straight, but with glass, it’ll be clean. Crowds are possible here, so get in early.
Later in the forecast, around the 4th and 5th of September, the swell builds again. Friday morning the 4th sees a 3ft SSE swell with a 16-second period and strong energy (684), and the wind is light onshore from the SSW. Saturday morning the 5th pushes up to 4ft from the SSE, 14-second period, and very strong energy (826). The wind is light onshore again. These are promising, but they’re still in the marginal range, so don’t expect perfection. The swell is getting a bit bigger, but it’s not clean enough to be a proper standout. It’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it.
Overall, the best bet is that Saturday morning on the 29th of August. The rest is a waiting game with a few glimmers of hope. Stay patient.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Mon morning, min 23°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 35°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | WNW 6 | SW 16 | SSE 16 | S 14 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 11 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 58 | 57 | 104 | 87 | 71 | 89 | 79 | 112 | 109 | 98 | 135 | 132 | 136 | 124 | 400 | 423 | 286 | 184 | 123 | 109 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 5:31PM1.81m | 8:55AM1.39m | 6:29PM1.88m | 9:13AM1.44m | 7:17PM1.97m | 9:31AM1.49m | 7:57PM2.04m | 9:50AM1.54m | 8:34PM2.09m | 10:09AM1.59m | 9:10PM2.11m | 10:30AM1.66m | 9:45PM2.07m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:34AM0.49m | 12:14PM1.30m | 2:13AM0.40m | 1:10PM1.24m | 2:46AM0.33m | 1:52PM1.16m | 3:15AM0.27m | 2:29PM1.07m | 3:42AM0.25m | 3:05PM0.98m | 4:07AM0.27m | 3:43PM0.89m | 4:32AM0.32m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 33 | 35 | 30 | 35 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 26 |
Feels °C | 28 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 30 | 33 | 26 | 33 | 32 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSE 16 | S 14 | SSE 13 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 27 | 57 | 104 | 41 | 26 | 79 | 57 | 112 | 109 | 98 | 135 | 132 | 91 | 124 | 400 | 423 | 286 | 81 | 79 | 109 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | WNW 11 | SSW 13 | SW 17 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | S 14 | SSW 12 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSE 11 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 7 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 |
| kJ | 58 | 23 | 56 | 43 | 71 | 89 | 79 | 65 | 37 | 28 | 55 | 55 | 33 | 23 | 88 | 87 | 40 | 184 | 123 | 75 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WSW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 19 | SSW 13 | WNW 9 | S 15 | SSW 14 | S 14 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | S 12 | SSW 16 | W 13 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | NW 5 |
| kJ | 23 | 30 | 50 | 14 | 37 | 32 | 16 | 38 | 41 | 36 | 10 | 11 | 29 | 27 | 51 | 55 | 76 | 54 | 54 | 11 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 7 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | — | — | SE 2 |
| kJ | — | 37 | 35 | 87 | 48 | — | 54 | 33 | 24 | 40 | 48 | 40 | 136 | 97 | 82 | 178 | 61 | — | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 0 |
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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