Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 17s period, SSW swell with 373 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period with SW 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 Thursday (Aug 13) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. 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 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 5AM. 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+) | 2AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Fri 14th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again, same story, different numbers. This outlook is a tough pill to swallow. For the next 16 days, there’s just no real surf to speak of.
Water temp is a toasty 71°F right now, which is a wild 8°F warmer than average for the season—super unusual.
Starting from Wednesday, August 12th, we’ve got a stretch of tiny, weak surf. The swells are coming from the SW to SSW, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore at Depressions. Swell heights are barely 2ft to 3ft, with combined energy between 200 and 395 (moderate), but it’s all junk. The swell period is long, around 15 to 18 seconds, which sounds good in theory, but with such small waves and the wrong wind, it’s just a mess.
Into the second week, from August 18th onward, we stay in the same rut. Swell heights hover around 1ft to 2ft, with combined energy dropping to the low 100s and 200s (weak to moderate). There’s a brief hint of something on Thursday, August 27th, with a 3ft swell and energy of 416 (moderate), but it’s cloudy and the wind is still cross-on. Not worth getting wet for.
If you’re into kite surfing, that onshore breeze might work, but for a regular surfer, this is a dead period. The break is inconsistent here normally, so this blank run isn’t a surprise. Forecasts can change, but right now, there’s nothing calling me to the water.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Mon afternoon, min 20°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 127 | 125 | 122 | 160 | 154 | 104 | 180 | 240 | 232 | 295 | 318 | 239 | 191 | 186 | 186 | 186 | 140 | 134 | 153 | 184 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:58PM2.34m | 11:20AM1.78m | 10:45PM2.20m | 11:54AM1.84m | 11:32PM2.00m | 12:29PM1.88m | 00:20AM1.77m | 1:03PM1.89m | 1:15AM1.53m | 1:40PM1.88m | 2:25AM1.33m | 2:22PM1.84m | 4:21AM1.20m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:49PM0.87m | 4:56AM0.04m | 4:41PM0.80m | 5:30AM0.19m | 5:33PM0.75m | 6:03AM0.37m | 6:28PM0.74m | 6:34AM0.58m | 7:27PM0.75m | 7:02AM0.78m | 8:36PM0.76m | 7:28AM0.97m | 10:00PM0.75m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:43 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 29 | 31 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 |
Feels °C | 24 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 27 | 29 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 127 | 125 | 122 | 160 | 154 | 104 | 180 | 240 | 232 | 295 | 318 | 239 | 191 | 186 | 186 | 186 | 140 | 134 | 137 | 184 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 10 | S 16 | S 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 18 | S 18 | SW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 26 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 140 | 100 | 45 | 45 | 8 | 45 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 46 | 153 | 120 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | W 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 16 | SW 13 | SW 19 |
| kJ | 44 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 75 | 87 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 80 | 44 | 15 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | W 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | — | — | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 14 | 13 | 47 | 33 | 31 | 81 | 83 | 84 | 145 | 123 | — | — | 173 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 136 | 310 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 310 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 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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