Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 21s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 31 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 14s period, S swell with 602 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 21s 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 Saturday (Jul 25) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 21s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Depressions in the next 16 days are 1.2m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 31) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 21s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Fri 31st Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what we’ve got on the horizon for the local scene.
To be straight with you, the next week and a half is a bit of a tough watch. We’re looking mostly at marginal conditions and small, weak swell, so don’t expect any fireworks. The first real surf with any kind of quality doesn't show up until the morning of Wednesday, July 29th, so we’ve got a long gap of flat to poor conditions to sit through before then. Most of the time it’s a small 2ft to 3ft swell from the SW with light onshore wind, and the energy readings, while sometimes moderate, are attached to “marginal surf forecast” or “poor surf conditions” flags. The water temp is a stonking 70°, which is 7° warmer than normal – that is very unusual for this time of year, so at least the water will feel like a warm bath.
The standout window is Wednesday, July 29th. The morning session is where it’s at. You’ve got a tiny 2ft swell from the SSW, but the period is a very long 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is glass, absolutely dead calm, so the surface will be like a mirror. The combined energy is moderate at 519, and the wave comment says “expect good surf conditions”. For Depressions, that’s your call. The swell is small, so it’s fine for beginners, and the glassy wind will make it a dream. The swell direction (SSW) is not exactly the optimum WSW guidance says it loves, but with that period and those winds, it’ll be clean and rideable. Thursday afternoon, July 30th, is also worth a mention – another 3ft window with glassy wind and a groundswell period of 15 seconds, expecting good surf.
After that, the surf quality takes a dive. From July 31st through to the end of the run on August 8th, it’s mostly poor surf with onshore or cross-onshore winds picking up, and the swell period drops off a cliff, down to 8 or 9 seconds. The energy readings are weak, dropping down near the 100s. There’s nothing to get excited about in the second week – consistently poor conditions and small, junky windswell. It’s a long blank run after that Wednesday-Thursday window.
So, make the most of that Wednesday morning (July 29th). It’s the only time this outlook really loves.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Sat afternoon, min 22°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Mon afternoon, min 20°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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 24 | SW 24 | SW 21 | SSW 21 | SSW 21 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 368 | 141 | 467 | 404 | 288 | 546 | 384 | 327 | 399 | 559 | 325 | 377 | 358 | 377 | 343 | 206 | 258 | 168 | 344 | 334 | 525 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:02AM1.34m | 6:53PM1.97m | 9:37AM1.39m | 7:36PM2.03m | 10:04AM1.43m | 8:16PM2.10m | 10:30AM1.46m | 8:53PM2.15m | 10:56AM1.49m | 9:29PM2.17m | 11:22AM1.52m | 10:03PM2.15m | 11:48AM1.56m | 10:37PM2.09m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:20PM1.24m | 2:39AM0.37m | 1:15PM1.23m | 3:14AM0.29m | 2:00PM1.20m | 3:47AM0.23m | 2:39PM1.15m | 4:18AM0.20m | 3:16PM1.11m | 4:48AM0.19m | 3:54PM1.07m | 5:16AM0.22m | 4:33PM1.04m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — |
 | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 22 |
Feels °C | 27 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SW 19 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 18 | W 8 | SSW 19 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | SSW 17 | WNW 9 | W 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 |
| kJ | 89 | 65 | 90 | 107 | 107 | 546 | 104 | 120 | 399 | 134 | 325 | 171 | 166 | 377 | 300 | 151 | 90 | 122 | 344 | 334 | 525 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 13 | SW 21 | SSW 21 | SSW 21 | S 12 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 11 | SSW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 17 | SW 17 | SSE 19 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSE 14 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 165 | 116 | 467 | 404 | 288 | 43 | 384 | 327 | 12 | 559 | 129 | 377 | 358 | 118 | 343 | 206 | 258 | 168 | 90 | 60 | 49 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 24 | SW 24 | S 12 | S 12 | S 10 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSE 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSW 12 | NW 5 | S 18 | S 20 | S 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 368 | 141 | 67 | 44 | 18 | 46 | 23 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 154 | 67 | 84 | 162 | 144 | 164 | 158 | 144 | 121 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 6 | — | — | WNW 6 | — | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | E 3 | NW 3 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 97 | — | — | 156 | — | 163 | 220 | — | 189 | 238 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 142 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 25 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 0 | 0 |
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