Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 21 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s period, WNW swell with 198 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 15s. Another secondary swell of 1.3m and 6s 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 0.9m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 8PM. 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+) | 2AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table.
Well, to be straight with you, it's a rough stretch ahead for Depressions. We're looking at a long, quiet run with nothing really worth paddling out for right through the next two and a half weeks. The first solid recommendation doesn't show up until almost a fortnight from now, and even then it's not much more than a whisper. There's a long gap of days with nothing on offer, just small, messy, onshore slop.
The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.
The only time things even get close to being worth a mention is around Friday, August 28th. Through the morning, there's a bit of a pulse showing from the WNW with a swell height around 4 ft and a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 471. The wind is light and cross-onshore though, so it won't be clean. Not great.
Then on Saturday, August 29th, the swell gets a little more grunt. Swell from the WNW, around 5 ft in the morning, period of 9 seconds, with combined energy getting up to 589 – that's moderate to strong energy for sure. But again, the wind is moderate cross-onshore in the afternoon, gusting up to 16 mph, and that'll chop it up. It's a beach break, so that wind plus the short period will make it a messy, bumpy affair. Honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Too blown out and short period for a decent wave.
Through the start of September it's the same story – a few pulses of swell but always with that onshore or cross-onshore wind ruining any chance of a clean face. The break is fairly consistent for swell, but the wind just won't play ball.
The only real standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of Friday, August 28th, just because the waves are the biggest they've been with the lightest wind. But even then, it's marginal at best. For experts only, if you're desperate.
There's nothing else. No hidden gem, no magic window. Just a long blank run.
-Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 23°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Fri afternoon, min 23°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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 | S 16 | SSW 16 | WNW 6 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 7 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 140 | 80 | 153 | 120 | 186 | 164 | 110 | 118 | 120 | 79 | 131 | 150 | 143 | 123 | 55 | 72 | 96 | 80 | 112 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 2:25AM1.33m | 2:22PM1.84m | 4:21AM1.20m | 3:14PM1.80m | 4:21PM1.79m | 8:37AM1.33m | 5:31PM1.81m | 8:55AM1.39m | 6:29PM1.88m | 9:13AM1.44m | 7:17PM1.97m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:36PM0.76m | 7:28AM0.97m | 10:00PM0.75m | 7:51AM1.12m | 11:30PM0.69m | 00:43AM0.59m | 10:39AM1.31m | 1:34AM0.49m | 12:14PM1.30m | 2:13AM0.40m | 1:10PM1.24m | 2:46AM0.33m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 29 | 30 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 23 | 28 | 29 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 30 | 31 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 6 | WNW 10 | SSW 13 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 140 | 44 | 153 | 120 | 99 | 164 | 73 | 60 | 58 | 54 | 131 | 150 | 143 | 123 | 29 | 30 | 96 | 57 | 112 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | S 16 | SW 13 | NW 15 | SSW 15 | S 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 8 | 80 | 44 | 9 | 186 | 43 | 110 | 118 | 120 | 79 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 42 | 72 | 90 | 80 | 65 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SW 16 | S 9 | SW 19 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | WNW 12 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | SW 18 | WSW 18 | WSW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | WNW 10 | SSW 13 | WNW 9 | S 15 |
| kJ | 2 | 67 | 2 | 15 | 20 | 18 | 31 | 32 | 46 | 55 | 49 | 30 | 30 | 50 | 14 | 32 | 32 | 16 | 38 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | — | — | — | — | WNW 9 | — | — | WNW 7 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 |
| kJ | 78 | 74 | 89 | 117 | 66 | 73 | 58 | — | — | — | — | 67 | — | — | 55 | 41 | 36 | 29 | 23 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 149 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
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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