Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 14 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★+): Friday 14 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 18s period with SSW 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 Friday (Aug 14) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s 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 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+) | 11PM (Fri 14th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 18s |
| 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
G’day, Rusty here. Well, let’s be honest with you — the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a paddle. The guidance for Depressions is calling it a fairly consistent spot, but consistent in this case mostly means consistent small, chopped-up lines with cross-onshore winds messing things up. There’s a real dry spell on the cards, and we’re looking at a long stretch of marginal to poor conditions before anything even remotely worth getting wet for shows up.
The first week is a write-off. From Friday the 14th all the way through to around Thursday the 27th, the surf is tiny — mostly under 3 ft — and the wind is constantly cross-on or onshore. Sure, it’s clear skies and light breezes, but the waves are short-period leftovers with no push. The energy readings stay weak to moderate, mostly in the 200 to 300 range, and the swell direction is all over the place, swinging from SSW to WNW. That’s not surf, that’s just bump.
There is a small pulse on Tuesday the 18th with 3 ft to 4 ft swell, but the period crashes to 8 seconds — that’s just wind chop trying to pass as surf. It’s poor quality, and the wind is on it anyway. Nothing to chase there.
We’ve got a few mornings with light onshore wind and tiny 1 ft to 3 ft waves, but a 1 ft wave on a 16-second period is still just a knee-high ripple. It breaks, but it won’t hold your board.
The one moment that stands out, and it’s a long way off, is the morning of Friday the 28th of August. That’s when we finally see something with a bit of life. The swell jumps to 5 ft from the S with a 14-second period, and the combined energy reading jumps to 1026 — that’s the first time we’ve seen strong energy in this whole forecast. The swell direction is from the south, and the guidance for Depressions says it’s most exposed to WSW and optimum from WSW. So this S direction isn’t perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got. The wind is light onshore in the morning, but with a bit of luck it cleans up. It’s not huge, but it’s real surf.
The day after, Saturday the 29th, still has some energy with 3 ft from the S at 11 seconds and energy at 448, but it’s already starting to fade. That Friday morning is the pick, and it’s promising, but as a long-range call it’s far from guaranteed. Still, if you can wait that long, it might just be worth the drought.
Water temp around here? No major anomaly flagged, so it’s about average for the time of year. Nothing to worry about.
Honestly, the setup for the next week looks more interesting for a kite than a surfboard — small waves, cross-onshore breeze, and poor shape. I’d be waxing the board up for the end of the month, not the weekend.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 18°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Mon afternoon, min 23°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
104 | 180 | 240 | 232 | 229 | 318 | 193 | 191 | 188 | 188 | 186 | 171 | 151 | 171 | 134 | 184 | 164 | 121 | 118 | 120 | 79 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 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 | 3:14PM1.80m | 4:21PM1.79m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 7:51AM1.12m | 11:30PM0.69m | 00:43AM0.59m | |||||||||
6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
— | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 23 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 25 |
Feels °C | 23 | 23 | 18 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | WNW 6 |
104 | 180 | 240 | 232 | 229 | 318 | 193 | 191 | 188 | 188 | 186 | 171 | 151 | 171 | 134 | 75 | 164 | 121 | 54 | 120 | 43 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 10 | S 15 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 18 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | S 16 | WNW 13 | SSW 14 | WNW 12 | SSW 14 |
87 | 140 | 100 | 45 | 44 | 8 | 42 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 25 | 120 | 44 | 153 | 120 | 184 | 43 | 31 | 118 | 55 | 79 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | W 10 | WNW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | WNW 8 | S 16 | SW 13 | NW 15 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | S 8 | WNW 13 | SW 19 | WNW 12 |
12 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 80 | 44 | 9 | 20 | 18 | 1 | 55 | 14 | 55 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 8 | WNW 4 | W 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | — | — | — | NW 5 | — | W 6 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 5 | — |
— | 29 | 11 | 11 | 37 | 32 | 22 | 66 | 80 | 62 | 122 | — | — | — | 19 | — | 46 | 47 | — | 36 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 171 | 1 | 0 | 310 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 310 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 149 | 1 | 0 | 149 | 1 | 0 | 142 | 1 | 0 |
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.











