
Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 11 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with 339 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s 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 Sunday (Aug 09) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 11s 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 0.8m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 11th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. To be honest, the next couple of weeks here at Depressions are looking pretty grim. For the most part, we’re staring down a run of tiny, weak swell. I’m talking ankle-biters in the 1.3ft to 2.3ft range, with a few days pushing 2.6ft. The energy is consistently low, with most of the combined swell energy values sitting in the mid-100s to low-200s (143-286). That’s just not enough oomph to get anything fun breaking. We’ll have light winds, mostly onshore or light cross-onshore, which won’t help the cause. There will be a few morning windows of cleaner conditions, but with waves that small, it’s hard to get excited.
The one tiny glimmer in this first stretch comes around Saturday, August 15th. The morning looks glassy with light winds and the swell ticks up slightly to 2.3ft from the SSW with a 16-second period. It’s still weak, but that long period and clean conditions might give you a couple of slow, soft shoulders to trim on. It’s a marginal call at best, not a day to drop everything for.
Then we go right back into the poor-to-marginal mush for another week. Nothing changes much. Small swell, light winds, and a lot of closed-out or gutless waves. The energy does build a touch around the 20th and 21st, but the swell direction shifts to a short-period WNW, which just won’t wrap in here with any quality.
Finally, we get a real standout on the horizon, but it’s a long way off. Monday, August 24th, is the only day that looks like it has any real potential. The morning is forecast to be glassy, and we’re expecting a jump in size to 3.9ft, also from the WNW. The energy jumps to a strong 365, and the conditions are looking clean. This is the standout, no question. However, it's still a week and a half away, so treat it as promising but don’t bank on it. The afternoon on the 24th is forecast to get messy with the wind picking up and the period dropping to a short 6 seconds, so if this holds, make the most of that early session.
The water is currently a very unusual 6.7°F warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’ll feel like a warm bath out there, which is about the only thing that’s comfortable about it.
Overall, there are some consistent pulses of energy, but the size just isn’t there. For the shallow beach break here, the small, short-period WNW swells later in the period will be more of a nuisance than anything. To be honest, with the wind and the lack of decent swell, this setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer for most of this forecast. Don't hold your breath for the next two weeks, but keep an eye on that Monday the 24th.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 20°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 14 | SSW 14 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
125 | 121 | 153 | 105 | 102 | 96 | 79 | 123 | 121 | 109 | 127 | 125 | 122 | 160 | 154 | 104 | 180 | 240 | 232 | 291 | 284 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 9:02AM1.44m | 7:24PM2.32m | 9:38AM1.53m | 8:19PM2.40m | 10:12AM1.62m | 9:09PM2.41m | 10:46AM1.71m | 9:58PM2.34m | 11:20AM1.78m | 10:45PM2.20m | 11:54AM1.84m | 11:32PM2.00m | 12:29PM1.88m | 00:20AM1.77m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:58PM1.16m | 2:57AM0.01m | 2:01PM1.07m | 3:39AM-0.05m | 2:57PM0.96m | 4:19AM-0.04m | 3:49PM0.87m | 4:56AM0.04m | 4:41PM0.80m | 5:30AM0.19m | 5:33PM0.75m | 6:03AM0.37m | 6:28PM0.74m | ||||||||
6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
— | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 27 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 18 |
Feels °C | 26 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
125 | 121 | 153 | 105 | 102 | 59 | 79 | 123 | 121 | 109 | 127 | 125 | 122 | 160 | 154 | 104 | 138 | 240 | 232 | 291 | 284 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 4 | SSW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | SSE 12 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | S 11 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 10 | WNW 8 | SSW 18 | SW 14 | WNW 7 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
6 | 12 | 37 | 33 | 38 | 35 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 180 | 164 | 16 | 28 | 61 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | W 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 20 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 18 | S 12 | WNW 10 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 12 | S 11 | S 10 | W 6 | SW 18 | SSE 11 | WNW 7 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 9 |
12 | 12 | 12 | 38 | 97 | 96 | 51 | 25 | 10 | 27 | 44 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 5 | 87 | 22 | 18 | 30 | 27 | 14 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 8 | — | W 2 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | WNW 8 | — | W 7 | W 3 | W 4 |
— | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | 1 | 37 | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | 8 | 8 | 6 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 310 | 1 | 0 | 310 | 1 | 0 | 138 | 1 | 0 | 310 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 1 | 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.











