Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 14s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, S swell with 1,016 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 18s 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 Tuesday (Sep 01) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 13s is also forecast. Another secondary swell of 1.0m 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 1.6m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1ft (0.3m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s look at what’s coming up at Depressions over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions. From now through to the end of the first week of September, the swell is tiny—mostly 1ft to 2ft—and the wind is almost always cross-on or onshore, leaving the surface choppy or bumpy. The water is sitting at a very unusual 71°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. There’s a bit of energy in the water, with the combined energy of all swells here hitting moderate values (around 154 to 482), but it’s not translating into any decent surf. Honestly, for the first several days, you’re better off staying home.
Things start to look a little more promising heading into the weekend of the 6th and 7th of September. On Sunday morning the 6th, we’ve got some clouds and a light cross-shore breeze, with swell building to 4ft from the SSE, period 15 seconds—that’s a nice long-period groundswell. The combined energy climbs to 850 (moderate to strong). But the real standout is Sunday afternoon: glassy conditions, 5ft SSE swell with a 16-second period, and combined energy of 952. That’s the best on offer—clean, long-period lines, though this long-period swell might be a bit straight for a beach break. Monday the 7th also looks good: morning has a light cross-off breeze and 5ft SSE swell (14-second period, combined energy 959), and the afternoon stays clean with 4ft at 13 seconds. Light crowds are possible, so you might have a bit of company.
After that, it drops off again. Tuesday the 8th sees the swell fade to 3ft with a short 9-second period, and by Wednesday it’s back to the same small, choppy stuff we started with. The rest of the second week—through to the 16th of September—is a long stretch of tiny surf (1ft to 2ft) and cross-on winds. Nothing worth chasing.
So, the one true standout is Sunday afternoon, the 6th of September, with glassy conditions and a solid 5ft SSE groundswell. Keep an eye on Monday morning the 7th too—similar size and clean. The rest of the window is a write-off, so pick your moment.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 24°C on Sat morning, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 16 | S 13 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSW 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | S 15 | SSE 14 | S 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 68 | 44 | 79 | 68 | 121 | 148 | 113 | 188 | 204 | 321 | 240 | 257 | 325 | 325 | 346 | 195 | 456 | 639 | 991 | 834 | 670 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 12:42PM1.96m | 1:45AM1.33m | 1:25PM1.97m | 3:36AM1.21m | 2:24PM1.96m | 6:25AM1.24m | 3:43PM1.97m | 7:35AM1.36m | 5:08PM2.02m | 8:08AM1.47m | 6:21PM2.11m | 8:37AM1.57m | 7:22PM2.19m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:45PM0.63m | 6:34AM0.97m | 9:06PM0.60m | 7:03AM1.11m | 10:40PM0.53m | 7:59AM1.23m | 00:02AM0.40m | 10:25AM1.29m | 1:04AM0.26m | 12:07PM1.22m | 1:52AM0.16m | 1:16PM1.09m | 2:34AM0.11m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |  |  |  |  | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:16 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 26 | 8 | 2 |
Temp °C | 22 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
Feels °C | 21 | 22 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSW 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | S 15 | SSE 14 | S 13 |
| kJ | 39 | 37 | 33 | 56 | 121 | 103 | 62 | 125 | 204 | 321 | 240 | 257 | 325 | 325 | 346 | 195 | 456 | 639 | 991 | 834 | 670 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 | SSE 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 18 |
| kJ | 68 | 44 | 79 | 68 | 68 | 148 | 113 | 188 | 77 | 113 | 116 | 255 | 245 | 201 | 191 | 191 | 142 | 146 | 123 | 191 | 31 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SSE 9 | S 8 | W 12 | SSW 21 | SSW 10 | S 19 | SSE 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | W 6 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 15 | SW 11 | SW 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | — |
| kJ | 31 | 31 | 34 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 42 | 34 | 111 | 75 | 113 | 53 | 17 | 59 | 10 | 119 | 18 | 16 | 29 | 29 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 4 | W 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | W 4 | W 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 11 | — | WNW 5 | WNW 9 | W 5 | WNW 5 | — | — | WNW 7 |
| kJ | 10 | 43 | 44 | 17 | 87 | 74 | 30 | 94 | 80 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 78 | — | 12 | 58 | 11 | 18 | — | — | 34 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 76 | 0 | 1 | 310 | 0 | 142 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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)
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