Depressions Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.41° N 119.85° W

Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 10 am 23 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Depressions sea temperature is
20.7°C
3.4° 

Depressions surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Depressions surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 17s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s period, WNW swell with 328 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m 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 1.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Sun 23rd Aug)1.5ft (0.4m) 18s
Best Surf 8AM (Sat 29th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 17s
Most Powerful 8AM (Sun 30th Aug)5ft (1.5m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Depressions and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty grim run for the next couple of weeks. There’s a real gap here, with nothing worth paddling out for until we get into the second week, and even then, it’s all marginal.

The water is sitting at 69°F right now, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, a real anomaly of 6°F. That’s unusual, but it won’t help the waves.

We kick off on Sunday the 23rd of August with a tiny 1ft swell from the southwest, but it’s onshore and the conditions are just poor. That’s the story through the whole of next week. The energy is weak to moderate (163–376), but the wind is always from the wrong angle, and the wave comment is either "poor" or "marginal". Tuesday the 25th sees a slight bump to 2ft, but it’s still cross-on and messy. Not worth getting wet.

Wednesday the 26th through Thursday the 27th sees a shift to a SSE swell around 2–3ft with a period of 12 seconds, and the wind is light and onshore. The energy is moderate (335–376), but it’s still tagged as "marginal". The waves are small and the wind is just enough to put a crinkle on the surface. No standout there.

The real blank stretch runs from Friday the 28th of August all the way through to the end of the month. We get a pulse of WNW swell, but it’s short period (8–9 seconds) and the wind is cross-on or onshore. The energy builds from 199 to 519, but the wave quality is consistently "poor". On Sunday the 30th, the swell hits 5ft in the morning, but it’s cross-on and messy. The afternoon sees it jump to 6ft, but the period drops to a pathetic 6 seconds, making it a choppy, wind-blown mess. At 6ft with that period and cross-on wind, this is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Not a surfer’s wave.

Monday the 31st drops back to 3ft, and it’s the same story. We go into September with more of the same. Tuesday the 1st of September brings a SSE swell at 2ft, but the wind picks up to 12 mph in the afternoon, adding chop. Wednesday the 2nd sees a 6ft WNW swell, but again, the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind is moderate cross-on. That’s another kite-surfing setup.

Finally, we get a glimmer late in the window. On Thursday the 3rd of September, the morning shows a 4ft WNW swell with a 9-second period, and the wind is light and onshore. The energy is moderate (489). In the afternoon, the swell builds to 5ft with a 9-second period, and the energy jumps to 784 (moderate-to-strong). The conditions are still "marginal", but this is the closest we get to a promising window. The swell direction is WNW, and the optimum swell direction for Depressions is WSW, so it’s not a perfect match. The wind is light onshore, so it'll be clean but not glassy. For a beginner spot, 5ft is right on the edge of being too big, but it’s still manageable.

Friday the 4th of September sees a shift to a 2ft SW swell with a long 17-second period. The wind is glassy in the morning with a slight air, and the energy is strong (597). That long period (over 15 seconds) means better shape, but at a place like Depressions, a beach break, that long period can make the waves break too straight. Still, with glassy conditions, it’s the best-looking morning of the whole forecast. The swell direction is SW, which is close to the optimum WSW. The water is still that warm anomaly.

Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th of September see similar SSW swells around 2–3ft with periods of 15–16 seconds, but the wind picks up in the afternoon, adding chop. The morning of the 6th is a good call with a slight air and light wind.

The best on offer is the morning of Friday the 4th of September. That 2ft SW groundswell with a 17-second period and glassy conditions will produce the cleanest, most lined-up waves of the whole period. The combined energy is strong (597), so there’s some push, but the size is small enough for the beginners that Depressions is built for. It’s a standout, but it’s a long way off. The morning of Thursday the 3rd of September is the second-best call, with that 4ft WNW swell and light onshore wind, but it’s not as clean.

We’re looking at a long stretch of nothing until those last few days. It’s frustrating, but forecasts can change. For now, keep your board waxed and your eyes on the 4th of September.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 35°C on Tue afternoon, min 24°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 34°C on Wed morning, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
0
0
2
0
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
SW
19
0.4
SW
18
0.4
SW
18
0.4
SW
18
0.4
SW
17
0.5
SW
17
0.5
SW
16
0.4
SW
16
0.4
SW
16
0.7
SSE
12
0.7
SSE
12
0.8
SSE
12
0.8
SSE
12
0.7
S
11
1
WNW
8
0.8
WNW
8
1.1
WNW
8
0.6
SW
18
0.6
SSW
17
0.6
SSW
16
1.7
WNW
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
89
79
112
109
98
135
130
91
89
142
140
189
179
114
154
94
149
246
202
171
175
Wind (km/h)
10
SW
10
WSW
5
NNW
10
WSW
10
WSW
5
NNW
10
WSW
15
W
5
N
10
SW
10
WSW
5
E
5
SW
10
WSW
0
SE
10
WSW
10
W
5
N
10
WSW
15
WNW
10
NNW
Wind State
on
cross-on
glassy
on
cross-on
cross-off
on
cross-on
glassy
on
on
cross-off
on
on
glassy
on
cross-on
glassy
on
cross
cross-off
High Tide
9:13AM1.44m
7:17PM1.97m
9:31AM1.49m
7:57PM2.04m
9:50AM1.54m
8:34PM2.09m
10:09AM1.59m
9:10PM2.11m
10:30AM1.66m
9:45PM2.07m
10:51AM1.73m
10:22PM1.99m
11:14AM1.81m
11:01PM1.86m
Low Tide
1:10PM1.24m
2:46AM0.33m
1:52PM1.16m
3:15AM0.27m
2:29PM1.07m
3:42AM0.25m
3:05PM0.98m
4:07AM0.27m
3:43PM0.89m
4:32AM0.32m
4:22PM0.81m
4:56AM0.41m
5:03PM0.74m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:24
6:26
6:26
6:28
6:28
6:28
6:30
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:37
7:36
7:35
7:32
7:31
7:30
7:29
 mm
Temp °C
28
29
27
30
31
29
32
35
30
34
33
29
31
31
27
29
33
29
34
34
29
Feels °C
28
30
27
29
30
26
30
33
27
32
33
28
32
32
28
28
31
28
32
31
25
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Depressions:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest