Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’re looking at a 16-day stretch for the Depressions, and if I’m being honest, it’s a tough one. The first week is a write-off for any kind of decent paddle surfing. The water is running at 69°F, which is a whopping 7° warmer than normal – that’s very unusual for this time of year, and it feels like the ocean is having a bit of a fever. Not that it helps the surf any.

We’re looking at Thursday the 23rd, and it’s a no-go right from the start. The swell is a mix of tiny 2ft SSE groundswell with a long 13-second period, but the cross-on wind is trashing it. The combined wave energy is weak (349), and it’s just poor. Thursday afternoon gets a bit of a bump in height to 6ft, but that’s a short-period, sloppy windswell from the WNW at 6 seconds, still cross-on and messy. Not worth a paddle.

Friday the 24th through Sunday the 28th is a grim stretch. There’s a long-period groundswell (24 seconds) on Friday morning, but it’s only 2ft, and the wind is onshore. The wave energy is moderate (764), but it’s basically a non-event. The following days are all marginal at best, with tiny swell (2ft to 3ft) and poor conditions. The wind stays onshore or cross-on, and the energy is moderate but wasted. Honestly, there’s a solid gap of about 4 days here where you’d be better off doing anything else.

Things get slightly more interesting towards the end of the month. On Friday the 31st of July, we see a morning pulse of 4ft SSE swell at 16 seconds. The energy is strong (852), and the wind is just a light cross-on. It’s still marginal, but it’s the best we’ve seen so far. The swell direction (SSE) is not the ideal WSW for this spot, but the size is enough to get a few closeouts. The afternoon is similar with 4ft, but the wind shifts to onshore, softening it up.

Then, on Sunday the 2nd of August, we get a real standout. The afternoon brings a 3ft S swell with a 10-second period, but the wind turns glassy. Absolutely no wind. The wave energy is moderate (313), and the “expect good surf conditions” call is the only one in the entire 16-day window. This is your best chance. The swell is small, but glassy conditions mean the surface will be clean. It’s not a classic groundswell, but for this break, it’s the pick of the litter.

After that, it goes back to poor. The 3rd of August has a 3ft WNW swell, but the period is a terrible 5 seconds, and the wind is cross-on. The energy is weak (158). The 4th is a joke with 3ft W windswell and a strong cross-shore wind of 12 mph from the SE – that setup is honestly more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The rest of the week dissolves into tiny, weak, and messy conditions.

So, to wrap it up: ignore the first week. The absolute best on offer is the glassy afternoon on Sunday the 2nd of August. It’s small, but it’s clean. After that, the forecasts look bleak, but for this area, that’s sadly normal. Keep an eye on the sky, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

Rusty.

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