
Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 13s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 7s period, WNW swell with 499 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 13s period with S 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 07) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 15s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s 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 2.4m 7s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's cooking at Depressions. It's a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent spot that's fairly exposed to the swell, and the ideal direction is from the WSW.
Right now, the water is sitting at 70°, which is a whopping 6° warmer than normal for this time of year. That's pretty wild – feels like you're surfing in a bath, not a typical autumn lineup.
Honestly, looking at the next couple of weeks, it's a bit of a flat spell. The first real surf we get is this Sunday morning, September 6th. We’ve got a weak 3ft swell from the SSE at 14 seconds, but with a cross wind and the whole thing labeled as marginal, it’s not worth getting wet for. The energy is moderate at best (462), but the conditions just aren't there.
We go through a long, frustrating stretch. From Sunday afternoon all the way through to Friday morning, September 11th, it's either poor or marginal. Swells are small, winds are mostly cross or onshore, and the energy just isn't making it happen.
Things get a little interesting on Friday afternoon, September 11th. A short-period, 6-second windswell pushes in at 6ft from the WNW, with a light cross-on breeze. The energy jumps up (390), but the period is so short it'll be a bumpy, gutless mess. Not a standout.
Then we hit a couple of bigger, but uglier, days. Saturday afternoon, September 12th, sees a 8ft WNW windswell (7 seconds) with a cross-on breeze. That's big enough for the beginners to struggle, but with that short period and choppy wind, it's more of a washing machine. The energy is strong (617), but the quality is zero. This looks more like a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.
Sunday afternoon, September13th, has a 7ft WNW windswell, same story – messy and onshore. Not for the faint of heart, and not clean.
The rest of the run is pretty bleak. From Monday, September 14th onward, we're looking at small, weak swells from the WNW, mostly with onshore or cross-onshore winds. Swell heights bob between 1ft and 4ft, but the energy is low to moderate, and the conditions are consistently labeled as poor. There's a tiny glimmer on Friday morning, September 18th with a 1ft 19-second groundswell from the SW, but it's barely a ripple and the wind is light.
So, the honest truth? There's no true standout session in this 16-day window. The closest thing to a pulse is that Saturday the 12th, but it's a short-period windswell with bad wind. If you're a beginner, give it a miss. If you're an expert, maybe look at that Sunday the 13th for a challenge, but don't expect beauty. It's one of those runs where you wait and hope the forecasts change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Tue morning, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu morning. Warm (max 33°C on Wed morning, min 21°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 6 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
308 | 361 | 345 | 420 | 362 | 262 | 282 | 209 | 141 | 94 | 138 | 195 | 295 | 261 | 251 | 193 | 208 | 171 | 103 | 499 | 233 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | cross | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | off | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:08AM1.47m | 6:21PM2.11m | 8:37AM1.57m | 7:22PM2.19m | 9:07AM1.68m | 8:15PM2.22m | 9:36AM1.79m | 9:03PM2.19m | 10:04AM1.88m | 9:50PM2.10m | 10:33AM1.95m | 10:35PM1.96m | 11:01AM2.00m | 11:21PM1.79m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:07PM1.22m | 1:52AM0.16m | 1:16PM1.09m | 2:34AM0.11m | 2:11PM0.93m | 3:11AM0.12m | 3:00PM0.78m | 3:45AM0.19m | 3:47PM0.66m | 4:17AM0.32m | 4:32PM0.57m | 4:46AM0.47m | 5:18PM0.52m | ||||||||
6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | |
— | 7:19 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:12 | — | — | 7:09 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 24 | 22 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 22 |
Feels °C | 24 | 25 | 21 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 25 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | S 9 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 |
308 | 361 | 345 | 420 | 362 | 262 | 282 | 209 | 141 | 63 | 138 | 195 | 295 | 261 | 251 | 193 | 146 | 171 | 103 | 100 | 78 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | WNW 5 | SW 19 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 9 | SW 10 | SW 8 | SW 7 | WSW 12 | W 15 | W 14 | S 9 | W 12 |
144 | 142 | 144 | 14 | 14 | 31 | 50 | 50 | 23 | 94 | 41 | 34 | 20 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 12 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | SW 10 | SW 9 | — | SW 11 | W 12 | SW 10 | SW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 8 | SW 10 | SW 8 | S 11 | WNW 11 | W 16 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 18 | SW 21 |
10 | 11 | 15 | 3 | — | 4 | 3 | 4 | 68 | 34 | 30 | 22 | 28 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 17 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 4 | W 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 3 | W 3 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 |
— | — | 13 | 25 | 30 | 15 | 8 | 17 | 19 | 2 | 8 | 37 | 44 | 186 | 139 | 71 | 208 | 107 | 69 | 499 | 233 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 42 | 1 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 310 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.










