Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period, SSW swell with 164 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 12s. 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 0.6m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 5PM. 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+) | 2AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Well, folks, it's a tough one. We're looking at a long, dry spell here at Depressions. The truth is, for the next 16 days, there's basically nothing on the table that's worth paddling out for. The water is sitting at 69°F, which is a solid 6°F warmer than usual for this time of year, so it's much warmer than normal, but that's about the only positive.
From Wednesday the 19th all the way through to the end of the month, the forecast is littered with "poor surf conditions." The swell is tiny, barely scraping 3ft, and the energy in the water is mostly weak to moderate, with readings like 291 (Wednesday morning) and 204 (Thursday morning). The only real bump in energy comes on Saturday the 29th with a reading of 517, but it's still just 2ft of SSW swell with a cross-onshore wind. You'll be looking at pretty weak, crumbly waves.
The period drags on with no real change. Even into the first week of September, the story is the same. A few morning sessions might have a light offshore breeze, but the swell is just too small and weak to do anything with. The winds are mostly light, but they're often swinging cross-onshore, chopping up what little bump there is.
Look, if you're a kite surfer, the afternoon of Monday the 31st of August might be interesting with a 12 mph cross-onshore wind and 5ft of short-period WNW swell (only 6 seconds), but for a paddle surfer, it's a total write-off. This is just one of those blank runs for the area. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but for now, it's a solid pass.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Sat afternoon, min 24°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 5 | WNW 10 | WNW 6 | SSW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 186 | 164 | 110 | 118 | 120 | 115 | 59 | 58 | 54 | 106 | 43 | 71 | 90 | 80 | 112 | 109 | 98 | 135 | 130 | 91 | 89 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 3:14PM1.80m | 4:21PM1.79m | 8:37AM1.33m | 5:31PM1.81m | 8:55AM1.39m | 6:29PM1.88m | 9:13AM1.44m | 7:17PM1.97m | 9:31AM1.49m | 7:57PM2.04m | 9:50AM1.54m | 8:34PM2.09m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 11:30PM0.69m | 00:43AM0.59m | 10:39AM1.31m | 1:34AM0.49m | 12:14PM1.30m | 2:13AM0.40m | 1:10PM1.24m | 2:46AM0.33m | 1:52PM1.16m | 3:15AM0.27m | 2:29PM1.07m | 3:42AM0.25m | |||||||||
 | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 26 |
Feels °C | 26 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | SSW 13 | W 6 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 186 | 164 | 110 | 54 | 120 | 51 | 38 | 58 | 29 | 106 | 25 | 71 | 54 | 19 | 112 | 109 | 98 | 135 | 130 | 91 | 89 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 14 | S 16 | WNW 12 | SSW 14 | WNW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | WNW 11 | NW 5 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | WNW 8 | SW 19 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | S 14 | SSW 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 |
| kJ | 20 | 43 | 31 | 118 | 46 | 115 | 59 | 40 | 21 | 56 | 42 | 14 | 90 | 57 | 65 | 37 | 29 | 55 | 54 | 53 | 26 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 20 | WNW 14 | S 16 | WNW 13 | SW 19 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WSW 18 | WNW 11 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 19 | SSW 13 | SW 18 | S 15 | SSW 14 | S 14 | SSE 10 | W 18 | W 16 | W 15 |
| kJ | 16 | 18 | 20 | 32 | 14 | 46 | 40 | 30 | 39 | 50 | 28 | 37 | 32 | 80 | 38 | 41 | 36 | 10 | 24 | 21 | 39 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 7 | WNW 5 | — | WNW 7 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | — | W 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | W 5 | WNW 5 |
| kJ | 69 | 43 | 48 | — | 54 | 37 | — | 47 | 54 | 41 | 43 | 58 | — | 22 | 41 | 23 | 66 | 53 | 40 | 64 | 53 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 142 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 226 | 1 |
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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