Surf Forecasts:
Depressions surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 17s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 17s period, SSW swell with 469 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 28 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 17s 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 (Jul 28) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 16s. Another secondary swell of 1.3m and 6s 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 0.9m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 9s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a close look at what’s happening at Depressions.
Alright, straight up, the next 16 days are looking pretty grim for Depressions. We've got a long stretch of small, weak swell and conditions that are just not coming together. The water is a very unusual 69° – that's a massive 7° warmer than normal for this time of year, which is a real standout.
We kick things off on Tuesday, the 28th of July. The swell is tiny, running 3 ft from the SW, but the period is a long 17 seconds. That groundswell energy is moderate (568), but the wind is onshore, so it won’t be any good. The surf quality is just not there.
Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th are more of the same. We’re looking at ankle to maybe knee-high swell, 2 ft to 2 ft, with periods dropping into the 14-16 second range. The wind stays onshore, and the wave energy is moderate (446-499). Nothing to get excited about.
Friday the 31st through Sunday the 2nd of August gives us slightly more size, up to 4 ft on Sunday morning, but the period drops to around 9 seconds. That’s short-period windswell, and with the wind still onshore, it’s just going to be messy. The combined energy is still moderate (241-431), but it’s poor quality.
From Monday the 3rd of August onwards, it really falls off a cliff. Swell heights drop to 1.0 ft to 2 ft, and the combined energy weakens, with values dipping below 100 for the first time on the 4th of August (76). The wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave comment is consistently "poor surf conditions." Even when the period stretches back out to 18-20 seconds in the second week, the swell is just too small and the wind is wrong. A long period swell (over 15 seconds) like we see on the 10th and 11th of August can be good for points and reefs, but with only 1 ft of swell, it’s a non-event.
Honestly, there isn’t a single standout session in this entire 16-day window. The best you could hope for is a knee-high wave with a clean face if the wind ever goes light offshore, but the data doesn’t show that happening. For a spot that’s “fairly consistent,” this is a real bummer of a run. If the wind ever cleaned up, there’d be tiny waves to play on, but as it stands, the best call is to stay on land.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Tue afternoon, min 20°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Sat morning, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSE 14 | SSW 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 15 | S 14 | SSE 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 12 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 358 | 469 | 343 | 206 | 226 | 225 | 198 | 246 | 257 | 232 | 212 | 273 | 263 | 202 | 197 | 220 | 181 | 68 | 135 | 138 | 40 |
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 | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 10:56AM1.49m | 9:29PM2.17m | 11:22AM1.52m | 10:03PM2.15m | 11:48AM1.56m | 10:37PM2.09m | 12:14PM1.60m | 11:12PM1.97m | 12:40PM1.66m | 11:50PM1.82m | 1:08PM1.72m | 00:33AM1.63m | 1:39PM1.79m | 1:30AM1.44m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:16PM1.11m | 4:48AM0.19m | 3:54PM1.07m | 5:16AM0.22m | 4:33PM1.04m | 5:43AM0.28m | 5:15PM1.01m | 6:08AM0.38m | 6:01PM0.99m | 6:32AM0.50m | 6:55PM0.95m | 6:57AM0.64m | 8:01PM0.90m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 24 |
Feels °C | 25 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | SSW 17 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | S 13 | S 13 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 9 | SW 13 | WNW 9 |
| kJ | 112 | 469 | 176 | 115 | 83 | 119 | 92 | 68 | 118 | 115 | 212 | 273 | 107 | 107 | 197 | 220 | 181 | 68 | 135 | 26 | 32 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 17 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 15 | S 14 | SSE 13 | SW 15 | WNW 8 | S 13 | SSW 12 | S 11 | SSW 10 | SW 13 | WNW 9 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 358 | 109 | 343 | 206 | 226 | 225 | 198 | 246 | 257 | 232 | 54 | 36 | 263 | 202 | 88 | 33 | 44 | 46 | 44 | 41 | 23 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | SSE 17 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | WNW 5 | SSW 15 | W 8 | SW 14 | SW 20 | SW 19 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 9 | SW 13 | WSW 16 | S 11 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 98 | 113 | 144 | 178 | 134 | 164 | 156 | 142 | 17 | 84 | 66 | 33 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 47 | 16 | 44 | 26 | 9 | 40 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 96 | 138 | 30 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 54 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 149 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 149 | 1 | 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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