Depressions Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.41° N 119.85° W

Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 10 pm 23 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Depressions sea temperature is
21.0°C
3.6° 

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


Depressions surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 25 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 5s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 15s period, SSW swell with 286 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 5AM (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 Monday (Aug 24) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 5s 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 1.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 12s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (PDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Mon 24th Aug)1.5ft (0.4m) 18s
Best Surf11PM (Tue 25th Aug)4.5ft (1.3m) 5s
Most Powerful11AM (Sun 30th Aug)2.5ft (0.8m) 15s

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 honestly, there’s almost nothing to get excited about for the next couple of weeks. We’re in for a long, flat stretch. The first decent-looking window doesn’t even show up until late in the first week, and even then it’s pretty marginal.

The whole 16-day run is a bit of a write-off. You’ll see a few pulses of energy, but the quality just isn’t there. The swell direction is mostly coming from the SW and SSW, which isn’t ideal for this spot that prefers a WSW direction. Winds are a constant problem too – mostly onshore or cross-onshore, keeping things bumpy.

Let’s break it down day by day.

Monday 24 August through to Wednesday 26 August is a total bust. Tiny swell, poor conditions, and onshore wind. Not worth paddling out.

Thursday 27 August – Marginal improvement in the morning. We’ve got 2 ft of S swell at 11 seconds, but it’s coming with an onshore wind. Combined energy is only 287 (moderate). Not great.

Friday 28 August – The afternoon might be the best we see all week. The swell jumps to 3 ft from the WNW with an 8-second period, and the wind goes near glassy at 3 mph from the SW, right onshore. Combined energy is 286 (moderate). It’s still a beach break, and with that short period it won’t have much shape, but at least it’ll be clean. Call it a last-resort session if you’re desperate.

Saturday 29 August – Nope. Saturday gets messy with a 6 ft WNW windswell and onshore wind. Choppy as hell. Combined energy is 535 (moderate).

Sunday 30 August – Morning offers 5 ft from the WNW with 8 seconds and light onshore wind. Combined energy is 547 (moderate). Better than the day before, but that onshore wind will still put a chop on it. Only for the committed.

Monday 31 August – Back to tiny. 2 ft in the morning, then a jump to 5 ft in the afternoon from the WNW with a 6-second period, which is just windswell slop.

From Tuesday 1 September to Monday 7 September, it’s a parade of poor surf conditions. The swell height never really gets above 3 ft until the last day, and the wind is almost always onshore. There are a couple of mornings with light breezes and a 2 ft swell, but the wave comments all say “poor surf conditions.” Combined energy mostly sits in the 300s (moderate), but it’s just not translating into rideable waves.

Sunday 6 September morning is worth a mention: 2 ft from the SSW at 15 seconds with a slight air from the S. That long period won't help at a beach break like this – it'll likely break too straight – but combined energy is 461 (moderate).

Tuesday 8 September – The last day in the window. 3 ft from the S with a 9-second period and onshore wind. Same story.

Honestly, this is one of those stretches where there’s no standout day. The best I can do is point you to Friday 28 August afternoon – it’s the only time the wind goes near glassy and the swell is over 3 ft. But even that’s a stretch. If you’re a beginner, the swell never gets above 5 ft, so you’re not in danger, but the conditions are so poor it’s not worth your time. For experienced surfers, there’s nothing that gets over 8 ft to challenge you. This spot might be more interesting for kite surfing on the bigger, windier days.

Keep an eye on the charts – it tends not to stay this flat for long. But for now, I’d save the energy.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 34°C on Tue afternoon, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 33°C on Sat afternoon, min 25°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
1
1
1
0
2
0
1
2
0
0
1
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
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
0.7
SSE
12
0.7
SSE
11
0.7
S
10
0.9
WNW
8
0.8
WNW
8
1
WNW
8
0.6
SW
18
0.6
SSW
17
1.8
WNW
6
1.7
WNW
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
112
109
98
135
130
91
89
140
147
137
121
106
125
92
140
246
197
222
175
Wind (km/h)
5
NNW
10
WSW
10
WSW
5
NNW
10
WSW
15
W
5
NNW
10
SW
10
WSW
5
NNE
10
SW
10
WSW
0
ENE
15
SW
5
SW
10
NNW
10
WSW
25
WNW
15
NW
Wind State
glassy
on
cross-on
cross-off
on
cross-on
cross-off
on
cross-on
glassy
on
cross-on
glassy
on
on
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross
High Tide
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
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
part cloud
cloud
cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
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>
7:36
7:35
7:32
7:31
7:30
7:29
 mm
Temp °C
26
30
30
29
31
34
29
34
33
30
32
32
28
31
31
29
32
33
25
Feels °C
26
30
29
27
29
33
26
32
33
29
32
32
28
29
31
26
30
30
20
  • 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