Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 19s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 17s period, SW swell with 135 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Depressions in the next 16 days are 0.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let me tell you, the surf scene for Depressions is looking pretty quiet. We've got a long stretch of nothing much, and then a few faint whispers of something better way out there.
The first week is a total bust. From Thursday the 20th of August right through most of the following week, it's all poor conditions. The swell is tiny, mostly 1ft to 2ft, and the wind is always on it or cross-onshore, just messing up any chance of a clean wave. The energy is low, barely getting up there. Thursday the 25th afternoon tries to throw a 4ft swell at us, but it's from the WNW with a moderate breeze, so it's just choppy garbage. I wouldn't bother.
There's a big gap of about six days where you can leave the board in the garage.
Now, the second week starts to show a tiny bit of life, but it's still marginal. Wednesday the 26th morning is the first chance, with a 2ft SSW swell and a light offshore breeze. The energy reading is 282 (moderate wave energy). That's the first "maybe" of the whole run.
The real highlight, if you can call it that, is centered around the weekend of the 29th of August. Saturday the 29th morning has a 2ft SSW swell with a long period of 17 seconds, and a strong energy reading of 551. The wind is light cross-onshore. Sunday the 30th morning pushes up to a 3ft SSW swell with a 15-second period and an even higher energy of 571. For a spot that's fairly consistent and friendly for beginners, this is your best window. Just remember, those long-period swells can get a bit weird and break straight at a beach break like this one.
Tuesday the 1st of September and Wednesday the 2nd show some 3ft to 5ft WNW pulses, but the wind turns on them, making it choppy again. For a beginner spot, anything over 5ft is a handful, so this stays just within reach but not clean.
Finally, Thursday the 3rd of September has a 4ft WNW swell with an offshore breeze. The energy is 312 (moderate wave energy), and the wind is right off the land from the SW, so it could be glassy. That's your best long-range bet.
So, first week is flat, and the second week is a long-shot promise. Keep the faith, but don't hold your breath.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Sat afternoon, min 22°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 24°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 5 | SW 18 | WNW 6 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | WNW 5 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 110 | 118 | 120 | 79 | 59 | 58 | 66 | 56 | 65 | 71 | 89 | 80 | 112 | 109 | 100 | 135 | 132 | 98 | 89 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:21PM1.79m | 8:37AM1.33m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:30PM0.69m | 00:43AM0.59m | 10:39AM1.31m | 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 | |||||||
 |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 26 |
Feels °C | 25 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 110 | 45 | 120 | 50 | 37 | 58 | 58 | 25 | 17 | 71 | 79 | 57 | 112 | 109 | 100 | 135 | 132 | 91 | 89 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 12 | SSW 14 | WNW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | WNW 9 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | S 14 | SSW 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 |
| kJ | 31 | 118 | 46 | 79 | 59 | 40 | 23 | 56 | 41 | 27 | 89 | 80 | 65 | 37 | 29 | 55 | 54 | 53 | 27 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | WNW 13 | SW 19 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WSW 18 | WSW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | WSW 16 | SSW 13 | S 16 | S 15 | SSW 14 | S 14 | SSE 10 | W 18 | W 16 | W 15 |
| kJ | 20 | 31 | 14 | 46 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 50 | 14 | 26 | 32 | 20 | 38 | 41 | 36 | 10 | 24 | 21 | 39 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | — | — | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 |
| kJ | 62 | 38 | 34 | — | — | 37 | 66 | 45 | 65 | 64 | — | 43 | 70 | 46 | 87 | 57 | 56 | 98 | 53 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 310 | 1 |
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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