
Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 4 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period, WNW swell with 388 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 3 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s 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 (Jul 03) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s 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 1.6m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 09) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 3rd Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna level with you—this stretch ahead for Depressions is a real quiet one. We’ve got a long, drawn-out run of tiny to small swell and mostly ordinary conditions. The water’s sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing while you’re sitting there waiting.
The first real mention of anything ridable is Saturday morning, July 4th. We’ve got a 2ft SSW groundswell, a long 14-second period, and a glassy S wind. That’s a clean window with combined swell energy of 239 (moderate). It’s surfable but very ordinary—tiny waves, long lulls between sets. That long period will make it bend around the point or reef if you’ve got one, but for a beachbreak, it’ll be pretty straight. Crowds are possible on a Saturday morning.
Sunday morning the 5th is onshore again, and the rest of the first week stays below 3ft with cross-on winds ruining any real quality. Monday and Tuesday afternoons get a bit of a pulse in the combined energy, pushing up to 444 and 584 (moderate), but the swell stays 2–3ft and the wind’s cross-on, so it’s messy.
From Wednesday July 8th into the second week, we finally see a change. The swell bumps up a notch—4ft on Wednesday afternoon, 4ft Thursday morning—but it’s short-period WNW windswell at 9–10 seconds. Combined energy is strong, 554 and 499, but the quality’s poor. A few of those morning sessions have offshore SW wind, giving you clean faces, but the waves are soft and junky. Best of a bad bunch would be Wednesday morning July 8th with 3ft and light offshore, or Thursday morning July 9th with 4ft and glassy offshore. The 4ft is borderline for beginners but fine for most.
Later in the second week, around July 15th–18th, we see combined energy jump back into the 400–550 range, with a 4ft WNW windswell on Thursday July 16th afternoon and again Saturday July 18th morning. Periods are short, 7–9 seconds, so it’s weak and choppy, and the wind is light offshore or cross-offshore on some mornings, keeping it clean-ish but still marginal. The best of those later days might be Saturday morning July 18th with 4ft and offshore SW wind—still only a 1/10 kind of day, but the cleanest of that run.
Honestly, nothing here is a standout. The whole 16-day window is a struggle. The few mornings with clean wind and small swell are only “surfable but very ordinary.” There are long gaps of several days where the recommendation is zero. If you’re desperate, aim for July 4th Saturday morning for the glassy 2ft, or July 9th Thursday morning for the 4ft clean waves. But don’t expect much.
Keep your expectations low, and the board waxed.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 17°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 19°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fri 3 | Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 19 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 16 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
121 | 79 | 120 | 125 | 82 | 176 | 121 | 145 | 171 | 171 | 298 | 319 | 356 | 276 | 339 | 254 | 343 | 235 | 181 | 185 | 149 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 00:03AM1.88m | 2:21PM1.56m | 00:44AM1.72m | 2:54PM1.63m | 1:36AM1.55m | 3:28PM1.73m | 2:52AM1.37m | 4:07PM1.84m | 4:39AM1.25m | 4:52PM1.97m | 6:32AM1.23m | 5:42PM2.10m | 8:00AM1.30m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:11PM1.21m | 7:24AM0.42m | 7:10PM1.20m | 7:53AM0.53m | 8:24PM1.15m | 8:23AM0.65m | 9:50PM1.04m | 8:57AM0.78m | 11:15PM0.85m | 9:41AM0.91m | 00:27AM0.62m | 10:37AM1.03m | 1:26AM0.38m | 11:44AM1.10m | |||||||
— | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | |
8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:14 | — | 8:14 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 27 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 24 |
Feels °C | 21 | 17 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | W 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 4 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
121 | 28 | 120 | 120 | 8 | 176 | 121 | 145 | 171 | 171 | 223 | 105 | 356 | 276 | 211 | 232 | 343 | 235 | 181 | 185 | 149 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | SSW 14 | WNW 9 | SSW 19 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 17 | SSW 21 | SSW 20 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | S 19 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
45 | 79 | 26 | 125 | 82 | 58 | 58 | 86 | 153 | 154 | 298 | 319 | 84 | 54 | 339 | 66 | 175 | 173 | 169 | 121 | 118 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 15 | SSW 19 | WNW 9 | S 9 | W 4 | S 9 | SSW 22 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | NW 12 | WNW 10 | WNW 12 | S 10 | S 19 | S 9 | S 17 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 |
9 | 18 | 74 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 14 | 91 | 28 | 28 | 37 | 41 | 13 | 2 | 66 | 2 | 92 | 91 | 82 | 80 | 72 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 4 | — | WNW 4 | W 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | — | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | — | WNW 9 | — | — | — | — | ESE 2 |
29 | 35 | 19 | 5 | — | 8 | 17 | 37 | 35 | 91 | 108 | — | 131 | 181 | — | 254 | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











