Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 14 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 7s period, WNW swell with 476 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period with WNW 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 19s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Depressions in the next 16 days are 2.3m 7s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) 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 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let's talk about Depressions in feet and miles per hour.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a pretty lean run. We're looking at a long stretch of small, choppy, or just plain messy conditions. The water temperature is sitting at 71°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. It's like the ocean forgot what season it is.
We’ve got a little pulse of energy coming through on Sunday the 13th. The morning sees a clean 3ft wave from the WNW, with a 9-second period and light onshore breeze. The swell energy is moderate at best (278), and the wave comment says it's marginal. It's not going to be a standout, but for a beginner spot that's fairly consistent, it might be the only window that's even worth a look. By the afternoon, the wind swings cross-onshore and the swell jumps to 7ft with a short, messy 6-second period – that's blown out and choppy, a real bummer.
Monday the 14th looks similar – a 4ft morning swell from the WNW with a light onshore breeze, but again, the forecast is calling it marginal. The energy is moderate (307), but it's not going to be clean or powerful. Tuesday drops down to 3ft or less, and from Wednesday the 16th onward, we're scraping the bottom of the barrel. Swell heights drop to 1.0ft or 1ft for days on end. There are some long-period pulses from the south in there, with periods up to 19 seconds, but the swell is so tiny it just doesn't matter. The wind is mostly light, but it's either onshore or cross-onshore, just enough to mess up what little is there.
There’s a gap of several days here where there’s nothing I’d recommend. From around Thursday the 17th right through to the end of the forecast on Monday the 28th, it’s all "poor surf conditions" or marginal at best. The energy readings bounce between weak (96) and moderate, but with tiny swell and persistent onshore wind, it’s just not going to happen. The setup is a beach, so with the wind and the short, weak swell, this is looking more like a kite-surfing window than a paddle-surfing one for the vast majority of the period.
Simply put, the best on offer is the Sunday 13th or Monday 14th mornings for a total beginner session on small, clean-ish waves. Everything else is a write-off. For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is an unusual dry spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 18°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Fri afternoon, min 17°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | S 18 | S 17 | SSW 16 | S 16 | SSW 15 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 162 | 352 | 380 | 232 | 158 | 154 | 169 | 92 | 49 | 98 | 53 | 98 | 45 | 123 | 121 | 133 | 133 | 130 | 154 | 197 | 155 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 11:30AM2.01m | 00:10AM1.60m | 11:59AM1.98m | 1:05AM1.43m | 12:31PM1.92m | 2:21AM1.29m | 1:08PM1.84m | 5:08AM1.24m | 3:16PM1.70m | 8:18AM1.41m | 4:47PM1.71m | ||||||||||
Low Tide | 6:05PM0.52m | 5:39AM0.83m | 6:55PM0.55m | 6:02AM0.99m | 7:53PM0.61m | 6:19AM1.13m | 9:08PM0.66m | 5:56AM1.24m | 10:39PM0.66m | 11:58PM0.61m | 10:39AM1.39m | 00:51AM0.53m | |||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — |
 | — | 7:08 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 28 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 20 |
Feels °C | 26 | 27 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 46 | 45 | 44 | 232 | 158 | 154 | 169 | 92 | 49 | 33 | 33 | 22 | 20 | 123 | 121 | 133 | 133 | 59 | 154 | 197 | 155 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 11 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSE 10 | S 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 12 | 58 | 56 | 48 | 107 | 75 | 65 | 62 | 39 | 88 | 38 | 98 | 31 | 21 | 36 | 69 | 60 | 130 | 34 | 33 | 29 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | SW 16 | S 8 | SW 13 | S 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SE 3 | S 19 | S 18 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SSE 9 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
| kJ | 58 | 10 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 15 | 14 | 2 | 29 | 98 | 53 | 46 | 45 | 72 | 104 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | — | — | WNW 9 | SE 3 | — | — | — | W 8 | — | — | W 7 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 |
| kJ | 162 | 352 | 380 | — | — | 119 | 2 | — | — | — | 11 | — | — | 28 | 16 | 17 | 82 | 77 | 48 | 94 | 135 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 147 | 87 | 0 | 118 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 149 | 0 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 1 |
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.
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