Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 19s period, SSW swell with glassy 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★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 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 Wednesday (Aug 12) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy 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+) | 5AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 19s |
| 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
Alright, Rusty here. Let's be honest, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for Depressions. We've got a long stretch of small, weak surf ahead, so don't get your hopes up. The first real chance of anything rideable doesn't even show up until Saturday the 15th, and even then it's a marginal call at best. Between now and then, we're looking at a few days of nothing but tiny, messy waves.
For Saturday the 15th, we've got a small pulse of swell pushing in from the SSW, around 2.3ft with a decent 16-second period. The energy is moderate (290), but the wind is going to be on it, which will keep things a bit lumpy. It's a marginal day, more for the longboard or a foamie if you're desperate. The following morning, Sunday the 16th, is a similar story – a touch more size at 2.6ft, but the same onshore breeze is going to mess with the surface. Not great, but it might be the pick of a pretty ordinary run.
Then things get weird. Around Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th of August, the swell jumps up, but it's all windswell. The period drops right off to 6-7 seconds, the wind swings around to the WNW and picks up to 12-16 mph, and the energy builds to moderate (391 and 559). This is messy, choppy, and junky. For a break like Depressions, which is a beach and reef setup, this isn't going to be a clean surf – it looks like it's going to be more interesting for the kite surfers than for us paddle surfers. The size is there, over 5.5ft to 6.5ft, but the quality is going to be poor.
After that little burst of wind, it settles back down into the flat spell. For the rest of the second week and into the following week, we're back to small, weak SSW pulses with onshore winds. There might be a slightly better window on the morning of Tuesday the 25th, with a 1.6ft SSW swell and a 16-second period, but the energy is still only moderate (275), and the wind is on it. It's just all a bit lackluster.
The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so the wetsuit you normally use will be fine. Bottom line: there are no standout days in this forecast. The first week is a write-off, and the second week is mostly small and onshore. If you're really keen, keep an eye on that Saturday the 15th, but don't book a day off work for it. The surf will come back, it always does, but for now, maybe get the fishing rod out.
Stay salty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Mon afternoon, min 17°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 121 | 109 | 127 | 125 | 122 | 160 | 154 | 104 | 180 | 240 | 232 | 295 | 318 | 306 | 217 | 186 | 186 | 186 | 140 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 9:09PM2.41m | 10:46AM1.71m | 9:58PM2.34m | 11:20AM1.78m | 10:45PM2.20m | 11:54AM1.84m | 11:32PM2.00m | 12:29PM1.88m | 00:20AM1.77m | 1:03PM1.89m | 1:15AM1.53m | 1:40PM1.88m | 2:25AM1.33m | ||||||
Low Tide | 4:19AM-0.04m | 3:49PM0.87m | 4:56AM0.04m | 4:41PM0.80m | 5:30AM0.19m | 5:33PM0.75m | 6:03AM0.37m | 6:28PM0.74m | 6:34AM0.58m | 7:27PM0.75m | 7:02AM0.78m | 8:36PM0.76m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 23 | 24 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 24 |
Feels °C | 21 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 121 | 109 | 127 | 125 | 122 | 160 | 154 | 104 | 180 | 240 | 232 | 295 | 318 | 306 | 217 | 186 | 186 | 186 | 140 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | WNW 9 | SW 13 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | WNW 5 | SW 13 | S 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 18 | SW 9 |
| kJ | 14 | 27 | 44 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 29 | 20 | 140 | 100 | 13 | 44 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | S 9 | S 11 | SW 13 | S 10 | WNW 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
| kJ | 28 | 27 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 75 | 87 | 16 | 20 | 45 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | — | WNW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 4 | WNW 4 | — | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | W 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 |
| kJ | 51 | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 18 | — | 37 | 24 | 12 | 28 | 29 | 19 | 78 | 74 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 310 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 310 | 1 | 0 | 310 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 1 |
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)
Latest Updates
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