Depressions Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.41° N 119.85° W

Issued: 10 am 05 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Depressions sea temperature is
17.8° C

1.7°C warmer than normal for this time of year

Depressions surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Depressions surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 6s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, WNW swell with 392 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 6 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s 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 Monday (Jul 06) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 21s. Another secondary swell of 1.1m and 5s 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 1.7m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 9s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 8AM.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Mon 6th Jul)2ft (0.6m) 17s
Best Surf 2AM (Thu 9th Jul)5.5ft (1.7m) 6s
Most Powerful11PM (Wed 8th Jul)5.5ft (1.7m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Right, gather ‘round. It’s your main man Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Depressions over the next couple of weeks is not going to get the heart pumping. We’re looking at a long, drawn-out run of mostly poor conditions, with just a few flickers of something rideable.

Let’s start with the big picture. The water temp at Depressions is sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nice for the skin, but it won’t help the waves any. The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t roll in until Friday the 10th of July. That’s a solid six days of grim conditions before we even get a look-in.

From Sunday the 5th right through to Thursday the 9th, it’s a write-off. You’ve got a mix of onshore and cross-onshore winds, mostly light to moderate, and the swell is a messy combination of weak, long-period south-southwest groundswell. The wave energy sits between 255 and 654 (moderate energy), but it’s all getting chopped up and disorganized. The wave comment says it all: “poor surf conditions.” Don’t bother paddling out.

Now, Friday the 10th of July is where we get a bit of light. Both the morning and afternoon sessions at Depressions show some hope. The morning brings a 3 ft swell from the west-northwest at a workable 9 seconds, with the wind switching to a glassy south at 3 mph. Clean, smooth, offshore-like glass. The wave energy is 334 (moderate). The afternoon sees the swell drop to 2 ft from the south-southwest, but the period stretches out to a very long 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy, though it might break a bit too straight at a beach break. Still, with glassy conditions and only 301 (moderate) energy, you could get some clean, lined-up waves if you pick the right bank. This is the standout of the whole forecast, but keep in mind it’s small and long-period, so it’ll be a challenge for the beginners.

Saturday the 11th is a step back – cross-offshore wind from the east-southeast gives clean faces, but the swell is tiny at 2 ft and the energy drops to 188 (weak). Probably not worth the drive unless you’re desperate.

After that, we limp through the second week. Sunday the 12th has a glassy, slight air 2 ft swell, but the wave energy is 209 (weak) and it’s described as “surfable but very ordinary.” Then from Monday the 13th onward, it’s back to cross-onshore winds and marginal or poor conditions. The combined wave energy values hover between 252 and 466 (moderate), but the wind and inconsistent swell patterns ruin it. There’s a long-period 21-second swell on Thursday the 16th of July morning, but at only 1 ft with onshore wind, it’s more of a ripple than a wave.

Basically, if you’re a beginner, Friday the 10th afternoon’s 2 ft swell is your only shot – any bigger stuff like the 5 ft on Wednesday the 8th afternoon comes with terrible 7-second windswell and cross-onshore wind (568 energy – moderate, but rubbish). Anything over 5 ft at Depressions is more of a challenge, and over 8 ft would be expert-only, but we never get there in this window.

Crowds at Depressions can pop up sometimes, so on that Friday the 10th, you might have a few others with the same idea.

So, my honest tip: keep the board in the car and the wax dry until Friday the 10th of July. That’s your best and only real bet in this whole 16-day stretch. Otherwise, it’s a lot of sitting on the beach watching the chop.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 19°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
3
1
1
2
2
2
1
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
SSW
18
0.4
SSW
18
0.6
SSW
17
0.6
SSW
16
0.6
SSW
16
0.6
SSW
20
0.7
SW
18
0.8
SSW
18
0.7
SSW
18
0.8
SSW
16
1.6
WNW
7
1.7
WNW
6
1.2
WNW
9
1.3
WNW
9
1.3
WNW
9
1
WNW
9
0.6
SSW
15
0.6
SSW
15
0.6
SSW
15
0.5
SSW
14
0.6
SSW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
176
121
229
171
171
298
319
356
276
339
268
211
265
260
260
177
144
167
172
118
154
Wind (km/h)
5
SSW
15
WSW
10
NW
10
WSW
20
W
10
NW
15
WSW
20
W
10
NW
10
WSW
15
W
5
NNW
10
SW
10
SW
5
ESE
5
S
5
SW
10
ESE
15
SE
15
ESE
10
E
Wind State
on
cross-on
cross
on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
on
cross-on
glassy
on
on
cross-off
glassy
glassy
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
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
6:35PM2.24m
9:03AM1.38m
7:29PM2.37m
Low Tide
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
2:19AM0.16m
12:52PM1.13m
3:08AM-0.01m
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:52
5:52
5:52
5:54
5:54
5:54
5:54
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:15
8:15
8:14
8:14
8:14
8:14
8:13
 mm
Temp °C
22
23
22
24
27
23
25
29
24
28
30
25
27
27
23
25
27
22
25
26
22
Feels °C
23
23
21
23
25
20
23
26
21
26
28
23
26
26
24
25
28
23
25
25
23
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
SSW
18
0.4
SSW
18
0.6
SSW
17
0.6
SSW
16
0.6
SSW
16
0.7
SSW
16
0.7
SW
18
0.8
SSW
18
0.7
SSW
18
1.1
WNW
9
0.7
SSW
16
1.2
WNW
6
1.2
WNW
9
1.3
WNW
9
1.3
WNW
9
1
WNW
9
0.9
WNW
9
0.7
WNW
8
0.7
WNW
8
0.6
W
8
0.6
SSW
14
Energy kJ
176
121
229
171
171
223
319
356
276
197
232
97
265
260
260
177
132
73
72
49
154
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
SSW
13
0.4
SSW
13
0.3
SSW
22
0.4
SSW
21
0.4
SSW
20
0.6
SSW
20
0.4
S
18
0.4
SSW
15
0.4
SW
14
0.8
SSW
16
0.3
S
19
1.1
WNW
9
0.6
SSW
16
0.6
SSW
16
0.5
SW
16
0.5
SW
15
0.6
SSW
15
0.6
SSW
15
0.6
SSW
15
0.5
SSW
14
0.5
W
9
Energy kJ
58
58
91
153
154
298
103
84
54
339
66
184
173
169
121
116
144
167
172
118
38
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
S
9
0.3
S
9
0.2
WNW
12
0.3
SSW
12
0.3
SSW
12
0.4
NW
12
0.3
WNW
12
0.1
S
10
0.2
WNW
12
0.3
S
19
0.1
S
9
0.6
SSW
16
0.4
S
17
0.4
S
16
0.4
S
16
0.3
S
15
0.2
S
18
0.1
S
18
0.1
S
20
0.2
S
16
0.2
S
18
Energy kJ
15
14
15
28
28
37
27
2
13
66
2
175
91
82
79
41
25
6
7
21
24
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
WNW
4
0.8
W
4
1.1
WNW
5
0.9
WNW
5
1.3
WNW
6
1.4
WNW
6
1
WNW
7
1.7
WNW
6
1.6
WNW
6
1.6
WNW
7
1.7
WNW
6
0.2
ESE
3
Energy kJ
6
24
52
37
95
131
102
212
203
268
211
1
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
2
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
Distance (km)
310
1
1
1
35
1
1
35
1
1
1
0
35
42
0
0
0
0
3
76
0
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
2
2
2
3
2
2
4
3
4
2
4
2
2
1
2
Best forecast wave conditions in United States
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
3
2
2
2
2
2
4
2
2
4
2
3
4
2
4
3
2
2
3
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
6
4
8
7
5
5
9
8
9
9
5
5
6
5
8
5
5
8
6
5
5
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Depressions:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

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.

Nearest locationNearest