Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, checkin’ in on the local stretch. Gotta be straight with you—this is a quiet stretch of forecasts, not the kind that gets the heart pumpin’, but there’s some texture to work with if you’re patient.

The first day with any surf worth getting wet for is Monday, September 14th, but it’s small and messy. The real story unfolds over the next couple weeks with small, drawn-out pulses from the southwest. There’s a whole gap of poor to marginal conditions from the get-go, so you’ll be waiting a bit for any glimmer of a rideable wave.

Alright, let’s look at the standout spot on offer: Doheney Beach. This reef break is exposed to the SSW swell direction, which matches the optimum, so that’s a tick. The early part of the week (Monday, September 14th through Wednesday, September 16th) sees tiny swell heights around 2 ft to 3 ft, but the period is long—16 to 20 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, which means those waves will have shape and push, even if they’re small. The combined energy gets up to 308 to 425 (moderate), so there’s some pulse behind them. However, the wind is onshore from the south for most of that early window, making for poor surf conditions. It’s rough for paddle surfing; the small but long swell with onshore wind isn’t doing Doheney any favors.

Here’s where it gets interesting—Saturday, September 19th morning to Sunday, September 20th. The swell bumps up to 3 ft to 3 ft from the SW, period still long at 18 seconds, and the combined energy climbs to 513 to 606 (moderate to strong). That’s the best energy in the whole run. Wind switches to a light cross or cross-on breeze (6 to 9 mph), which is manageable, especially the light SSW and WSW breezes. The waves will have a bit more size, nice lines from that long-period SW groundswell, and the energy (606 on Sunday morning) is the highest we’ll see. This is the pick of the window: small but cleanish, with some push. A good board and a willingness to work for it will pay off. Crowds? Doheney can get busy, so expect company, especially on a weekend.

Things fade toward the end of September. From Monday, September 21st onwards, it’s mostly poor to marginal with heights around 2 ft to 3 ft, period dropping from 16 seconds down to 12 seconds, and combined energy winding down to the low 200s (weak). The wind stays light to gentle cross-onshore, keeping it rough. The early part of the second week (Monday, Sept 21st to Wednesday, Sept 23rd) holds a glimmer with some cross-shore winds and the swell still around 3 ft, 16 sec period, with energy in the 340-450 range (moderate). That’s a possible session, but nothing to get excited about. The rest is flat or poor.

Water temp is a standout: 73°F with a 6°F anomaly—that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year at Doheney. The water’s warm, but it doesn’t make the waves better.

So, bottom line: the best chance to get wet is Saturday, September 19th through Sunday, September 20th, with clean-ish 3 ft to 3 ft SSW swell, solid period, and light wind. It’s not epic, but it’s the most energy we’ll see. For beginners, this is about the edge of okay size; it’s not too big, so if the conditions clean up, it’s doable. If you want to surf, wait for that weekend.

Stay patient, boys. Rusty out.

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