Diano Marina Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you about this stretch of coast. We’re looking at a long, quiet run ahead, so don't get your hopes up for much in the way of waves for a while.

Right off the bat, we have a proper dead spell. From now and right through until Tuesday the 20th of August, it’s basically flat or ankle-slappers with junk wind. You’ll see a tiny 1ft to 2ft bump here and there, but the combined wave energy is a pathetic 3 to 27—that’s nothing. The water temp is a remarkable 84°F, which is heaps warmer than usual for this time of year (an anomaly of 8°F), so at least a swim would be comfortable, but for surfing? Nah. The wind is either onshore or blowing across, making a mess of things at Diano Marina.

Our first real glimpse of something surfable finally shows up on the morning of Thursday the 20th of August. The swell ticks up to 4ft from the SW with a combined energy of 123 (moderate). The wind goes light NNE, giving us a clean look. It's not going to blow you away, but it’s the first time the ocean looks half-decent. After that, it goes back to small and choppy for a string of days.

Then, hold onto your boardies. We’ve got a bit of a dark horse showing up on the morning of Tuesday the 25th of August. The swell jumps to a solid 7ft from the SSW, with a period of 7 seconds and a combined energy of 363—that’s the strongest energy we see in the whole 16 days. The wind is a clean 9 mph cross-off from the N. The notes say "expect good surf conditions". This is your standout window, but that swell size and short period (under 8 seconds) means it’ll be a bit crumbly and raw. It’s not for the beginners; that’s expert territory if you’re going to get into the peak of it. The afternoon gets bigger at 8ft from the SW with 658 energy, but the wind goes cross-shore, making it a bit of a mess. The follow-up on Wednesday the 26th has a cleaner morning at 4ft from the SW (210 energy) with a 16 mph cross-off, but that wind is getting punchy.

After that pulse, it fades back to nothing. We’re looking at another gap of flatness and tiny windswell right through to the end of the month. There’s a little 1ft bump on the 30th, but it’s cross-on and worthless.

So, for the whole outlook, your only real shot at something worthwhile is Tuesday the 25th of August morning at Diano Marina. It’s got the size, it’s clean, but it’s beefy and short-period, so it’s a raw one. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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