Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period, SSW swell with 191 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 14s 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 1.2m and 6s 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 0.6m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Gonna give it to you in feet and miles per hour.
Looking at Depressions, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s gonna be a quiet spell. The forecast starts on Monday, August 17th, but you can pretty much write off the first week and a half. The surf is just too small. The first few days are all poor, with a little bit of energy showing up Monday afternoon – a combined swell energy reading around 232 (moderate) – but it’s messy with a cross-onshore breeze. That swell is only about 2ft, a long-period groundswell from the SSW, but it’s just not enough to get excited about.
We get a little bump around Saturday, August 22nd, with a windswell from the WNW at about 3ft, but it’s a short 8-second period. The energy is weak, only 149. It’s a sputter, not a wave.
The real story is the big gap. From the 17th all the way through the 28th of August, there’s nothing that scores better than a zero. That’s a long dry stretch. For a spot that’s normally fairly consistent, this is a real downer. But it happens.
Now, if you’re a patient surfer, there’s a tiny light at the end of the tunnel. On the morning of Saturday, August 29th, things start to look a little more promising. The swell is still small at about 2ft, but it’s a clean 16-second groundswell from the SSW, and the wind is glassy – light and from the SSW, which is offshore for this break. The combined energy climbs to 334 (moderate). The morning of Sunday, August 30th, looks even better on paper, with a 2ft, 18-second groundswell from the S and a combined energy of 371 (moderate). Again, the wind is a whisper, 3 mph, and glassy.
These are your best chances, but they’re a long way off – over a week away. The call is marginal, not firing. The water temp is about average for the season. Just keep an eye on the long-range forecasts. For now, it’s all about waiting.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Thu morning, min 23°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 9 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 188 | 186 | 140 | 80 | 153 | 165 | 186 | 164 | 110 | 118 | 120 | 115 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 55 | 80 | 71 | 90 | 79 | 112 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | cross-off | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 1:40PM1.88m | 2:25AM1.33m | 2:22PM1.84m | 4:21AM1.20m | 3:14PM1.80m | 4:21PM1.79m | 8:37AM1.33m | 5:31PM1.81m | 8:55AM1.39m | 6:29PM1.88m | 9:13AM1.44m | 7:17PM1.97m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 8:36PM0.76m | 7:28AM0.97m | 10:00PM0.75m | 7:51AM1.12m | 11:30PM0.69m | 00:43AM0.59m | 10:39AM1.31m | 1:34AM0.49m | 12:14PM1.30m | 2:13AM0.40m | 1:10PM1.24m | 2:46AM0.33m | |||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 27 |
Feels °C | 26 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 6 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 6 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 5 | WNW 9 | SSW 13 | SW 18 |
| kJ | 188 | 186 | 140 | 66 | 153 | 165 | 99 | 164 | 60 | 58 | 39 | 34 | 37 | 24 | 36 | 50 | 80 | 27 | 82 | 57 | 112 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 15 | SSW 15 | S 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | WNW 10 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 9 | 9 | 8 | 44 | 44 | 22 | 186 | 43 | 110 | 118 | 120 | 115 | 59 | 58 | 38 | 55 | 42 | 36 | 33 | 79 | 65 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 18 | S 10 | S 16 | S 9 | SW 19 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | WNW 12 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | WNW 7 | S 15 |
| kJ | 2 | 25 | 2 | 80 | 2 | 15 | 20 | 18 | 31 | 31 | 46 | 46 | 40 | 40 | 57 | 18 | 28 | 71 | 90 | 9 | 38 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | — | W 6 | WNW 6 | — | W 7 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 7 | W 5 | WNW 5 |
| kJ | 24 | 56 | 81 | — | 71 | 94 | — | 68 | 33 | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | 22 | 46 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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