Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with 326 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 15 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s 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 Saturday (Aug 15) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m 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 0.8m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sat 15th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are going to test your patience if you’re chasing waves at Depressions. The outlook is pretty grim for the most part, with a long stretch of weak, short-period junk and onshore breezes making things messy. There’s a real gap in quality here, and we’re looking at a lot of flat, lumpy days before anything even remotely rideable shows up. Water temp is sitting around 71°F, which is a solid 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a big deal, so you won’t need the thick rubber, just your patience.
From Saturday the 15th through to the middle of next week, it’s a write-off. We’ve got small 2ft south-southwest swells but they’re coming in at a period of 16 seconds, which sounds nice, but the energy is weak and the wind is either light onshore or cross-onshore, making for bumpy, uninviting conditions. Sunday and Monday aren’t any better, with the swell dropping to 2ft and the period sliding down to 14 seconds. Combine that with the moderate cross-onshore winds on Monday afternoon and it’s just a lot of paddle for nothing. The surf quality is poor for most of these sessions, and honestly, you’d get more exercise walking the beach.
Tuesday the 18th gives us a brief tease of a 3ft west-northwest swell, but the period is a poor 8 seconds. That’s short-period windswell, meaning it’s going to be crumbly and disorganised. The energy is still unimpressive, and even with the light onshore wind, it’s only marginal. Not worth the drive.
We then slide into a proper flat spell. From the 19th through the 24th, the waves are consistently below 2ft, mostly in the 1ft to 2ft range, with periods between 13 and 18 seconds. The energy numbers are low, and the wind, while light, is still onshore. This is the dead zone – almost a week of nothing to surf. There are no standouts here, no hidden gems. It’s just a blank run.
Now, looking further out, there’s a glimmer of something. Around the 24th into the 25th, the energy starts to build. On Monday afternoon the 24th, the combined energy jumps, and by Tuesday morning the 25th, we’ve got a 3ft south-southeast swell, with a 15-second period and a solid energy reading. The wind is light and offshore, which is exactly what we want to see. This is the best looking window, but it’s still only marginal. The swell direction from the southeast is not the optimum for this break, which prefers west-southwest, so it might not be lining up perfectly, but it’s the first time you’ll actually feel some push. The afternoon on the 25th pushes to 4ft, but the wind swings cross-on, chopping it up a touch.
The 26th and 27th keep things alive, with 4ft swells from the south-southeast and south, periods around 13-14 seconds, and solid energy. Again, the morning windows have light offshore winds, looking cleaner, while afternoons get a bit cross-on. This is a promising patch, but it's still not rating as a true standout – just the least bad option.
By the 28th and into the 29th, the swell fades back down to 2ft, with the period dropping to 12 seconds and energy fading. The wind picks up again on the 28th afternoon to a moderate 12 mph cross-onshore, so that window closes pretty quick. The final days of the month look like more of the same – small, weak, and a bit lumpy.
So here’s the bottom line. The only real window to get wet is around the 25th to the 27th, with the swell pushing 3ft to 4ft from the southeast. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s the most it’s going to do all stretch. Depressions is a fairly consistent break, but this run is proving why it’s not always a sure thing. The water is weirdly warm, the waves are mostly missing, and we’ll have to grind through a lot of flat days. Keep an eye on the 25th, but don’t hold your breath. This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Mon afternoon, min 18°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | SSW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
232 | 229 | 318 | 212 | 191 | 188 | 188 | 186 | 150 | 144 | 153 | 176 | 186 | 121 | 110 | 118 | 118 | 115 | 59 | 65 | 94 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 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 | 8:37AM1.33m | 5:31PM1.81m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 10:39AM1.31m | 1:34AM0.49m | |||||||||
6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | |
— | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 23 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 29 |
Feels °C | 23 | 23 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 23 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | W 7 | W 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 11 | WNW 9 |
232 | 229 | 318 | 212 | 191 | 188 | 188 | 186 | 140 | 144 | 153 | 176 | 87 | 55 | 55 | 44 | 26 | 21 | 43 | 46 | 94 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 10 | WNW 10 | S 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 18 | S 18 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
45 | 44 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 44 | 44 | 120 | 186 | 121 | 110 | 118 | 118 | 115 | 45 | 58 | 34 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | S 10 | W 10 | S 10 | W 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 16 | S 9 | NW 15 | WNW 14 | S 16 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | SSW 13 | WSW 18 | WSW 18 |
16 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 80 | 2 | 9 | 20 | 43 | 31 | 30 | 53 | 55 | 59 | 30 | 30 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | W 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | — | WNW 8 | — | — | WNW 8 | — | — | — | WNW 7 | — | WNW 7 | WNW 5 |
— | 21 | 22 | 23 | 59 | 46 | 56 | 94 | 150 | — | 144 | — | — | 44 | — | — | — | 26 | — | 65 | 39 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 310 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











