Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a long, hard look at what Doheney Beach has got cooking for us over the next couple of weeks. Fair warning: this is a tale of two halves, with a whole lot of waiting in between.

First off, the water temp is sitting pretty average for this time of year. Nothin' to write home about, just your typical July conditions.

Right now, and for the first several days, we're in a bit of a lull. The surf is small and pretty marginal. Monday the 6th through to Wednesday the 8th, we’re looking at waist-high waves around the 2ft to 4ft range. It’s a long-period groundswell coming from the SSW with a period clocking in at 16 to 20 seconds. That’s clean and full of energy (combined swell energy sitting between 539 and 868), but the setup here is a reef break. With such a long period, it might just suck the energy out and go a bit too straight. The winds are light, mostly cross or cross-on, keeping things rideable but not glassy. Tuesday morning the 7th shows a light onshore wind from the S, which could be a small window for a clean, soft wave for the beginners. But honestly, these are 1/10 and 2/10 days at best—hardly a standout.

Things get even quieter from Thursday the 9th through to Sunday the 13th. The swell drops further to 2ft to 3ft, the period shortens to 13 to 15 seconds, and the energy fades fast (dropping from 610 down to 286). Winds are generally onshore or cross-onshore, leading to poor or marginal conditions. This is kite-surfing territory, not paddle-surfing, unless you’re desperate for a longboard in weak soup.

Then we hit a real gap. From Monday the 13th afternoon through to Friday the 17th, it’s tiny. Swell heights barely scrape 1ft to 2ft with poor energy. It’s a blank run of several days where you’re better off checking the tide pools.

The one true standout, if you can wait for it, is Thursday morning, 16 July. Now, I’m getting a bit excited, but keep your expectations in check. The swell is still only 1ft to 2ft from the SW with a long period of 16 seconds. The magic here is the wind. It’s completely glassy—a dead calm with 0 mph wind. The water will be like a millpond, and the wave comment actually says "expect good surf conditions." For a reef break, that glassy surface with even a small, clean pulse from the SW is your best shot at a few smooth, groomed lines. It’s the only session with a score above "marginal" in this entire forecast. Combined swell energy is 290, so it’s weak, but the quality could be special for the wave count.

After that, we see a pulse of bigger swell arriving around Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th. July 20th pulls in a solid 5ft to 6ft swell from the S, with moderate energy (around 1215 to 1239). That’s getting into intermediate territory, maybe a little much for complete beginners. The period is shorter at 13 to 14 seconds, but winds are light and onshore, keeping it lumpy. This is the most size we see, but it’s not clean. If you’re an expert and hungry for power, Monday afternoon the 20th might be your only hope with a score of 3/10. It’s still marginal, though.

So, here’s the deal: Don’t hold your breath for the first week. The best on offer is that glassy dawn patrol on Thursday morning, 16 July, for the patient longboarder who loves clean, tiny waves. If you want size, you’ve got to wait until Monday, 20 July, but expect onshore winds to mess with the shape. Crowds? Doheney can get crowded, so be prepared for that on any decent day.

Stay patient, keep the wax warm.

Rusty.

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