Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 15s period, S swell with 1,138 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s 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 (Sep 01) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 4s 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 1.6m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 14s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve got to be straight with you – this 16-day stretch at Depressions is a tough one. It’s not that there’s no swell at all, but the timing and winds are making it hard to get excited. We’re in for a long wait before anything really comes together, so patience is the name of the game.
The first few days, right through to Friday the 5th of September, are pretty much a write-off. The swell is tiny, usually around 1ft to 3ft, and while there’s some decent underlying energy – the combined swell energy sits between 150 and 593 – the wind is constantly cross-onshore or onshore. It’s choppy, messy, and the forecast scores are, well, not worth talking about. You’d be fighting a losing battle out there.
Things start to look a bit more interesting from the morning of Saturday the 6th. The swell ticks up a notch to a consistent 3ft to 3ft coming from the SSE with a period around 13-14 seconds – that’s a nice, long-period groundswell. The real kicker comes on Sunday the 6th afternoon and into Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th. We’re looking at glassy conditions Sunday arvo with a ‘Slight air,’ followed by dead calm and glassy conditions on Monday morning, and then a proper offshore wind from the ENE on Tuesday morning. That’s gold. The swell is around 3ft to 4ft, and the combined energy is strong, hitting between 419 and 468. Those windows are your true standouts – clean, lined-up, and with enough push for a longboard or a fun mid-length. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so don't expect any surprises there.
After that brief window, it fades again. Wednesday the 9th has some clean cross-offshore winds, but the swell drops right off to 1ft to 2ft with a very long 19-second period. That long period means there’ll be long waits between sets and the waves could be a bit tricky at a beach break – it might wall up a bit straight. From Thursday the 10th right through until the end of the forecast on Wednesday the 16th, it’s back to small, poor-quality surf with persistent cross-onshore winds and combined energy dropping as low as 78. Honestly, it’s not worth the paddle.
If you’ve got a log, the Sunday the 6th afternoon through to Tuesday the 8th morning is your window. It’s not a massive swell, but with those glassy to offshore winds, it’ll be some of the cleanest surf we’ll see. The rest of the time? Give it a miss.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 24°C on Fri afternoon, min 19°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 16 | S 13 | SW 18 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 68 | 44 | 79 | 69 | 121 | 150 | 113 | 130 | 246 | 325 | 310 | 325 | 325 | 405 | 485 | 725 | 871 | 1121 | 752 | 608 | 819 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | on | on | glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 12:42PM1.96m | 1:45AM1.33m | 1:25PM1.97m | 3:36AM1.21m | 2:24PM1.96m | 6:25AM1.24m | 3:43PM1.97m | 7:35AM1.36m | 5:08PM2.02m | 8:08AM1.47m | 6:21PM2.11m | 8:37AM1.57m | 7:22PM2.19m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:45PM0.63m | 6:34AM0.97m | 9:06PM0.60m | 7:03AM1.11m | 10:40PM0.53m | 7:59AM1.23m | 00:02AM0.40m | 10:25AM1.29m | 1:04AM0.26m | 12:07PM1.22m | 1:52AM0.16m | 1:16PM1.09m | 2:34AM0.11m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:16 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 10 | 27 | 8 | 5 |
Temp °C | 22 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
Feels °C | 21 | 22 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 17 | 23 | 22 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSW 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 15 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 |
| kJ | 39 | 37 | 33 | 57 | 121 | 103 | 62 | 125 | 246 | 325 | 310 | 325 | 325 | 405 | 485 | 725 | 871 | 1121 | 752 | 608 | 819 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 12 | SSE 14 | SE 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | W 5 | WNW 6 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 68 | 44 | 79 | 69 | 68 | 150 | 113 | 130 | 75 | 129 | 194 | 288 | 209 | 201 | 176 | 104 | 13 | 22 | 123 | 14 | 79 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SSE 9 | S 8 | W 12 | SSW 21 | SSW 10 | S 19 | W 4 | SW 13 | SSW 11 | W 6 | W 5 | SSW 15 | WNW 9 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 19 | — | SSW 18 |
| kJ | 31 | 31 | 34 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 42 | 33 | 111 | 9 | 83 | 50 | 17 | 11 | 79 | 8 | 53 | 51 | 36 | — | 31 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 4 | W 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | NW 4 | W 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 10 | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 16 | 43 | 33 | 11 | 84 | 56 | 17 | 94 | 59 | 19 | 17 | 24 | 13 | 90 | 11 | 13 | 15 | — | 48 | 73 | 116 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 42 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 310 | 0 | 1 | 310 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Santa Barbara | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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