Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Doheney Beach over the next couple of weeks.

First off, the water temp is running 71°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nothing extreme, but you can definitely feel that little extra bit of warmth on a quiet morning.

Right now, the surf is small. We’re talking knee-high stuff at best, with some weak energy readings (203) Friday afternoon. Not much to get excited about, but there is a glimmer on the horizon. The standout for the whole outlook is Saturday, 29 August afternoon. That’s when things start to line up. You’ve got a clean 4ft swell coming from the SSW with a period of 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, meaning good shape and plenty of push. Winds are light from the WNW, going cross-offshore. That will leave the surface glassy and smooth. The combined energy will be strong at 755, and the break is an exposed reef that loves a SSW direction. This is the session to aim for – it’s not huge, but it’ll be clean and lined up. Crowds can be an issue here, so get in early.

Leading up to that, Sunday 25 August afternoon also looks tidy with a clean 2ft SW swell and cross-off winds, but it’s smaller. The 26 August brings a pulse of bigger S swell – 5ft Wednesday morning building to 6ft that afternoon – but the wind is onshore from the S or SSE. That’ll make things a bit bumpy and blown out, so not ideal for a clean ride.

After that 29 August peak, the surf stays rideable right through to the end of the first week of September, but nothing really jumps out as perfect. The 4th and 5th of September see a solid increase in size – hitting 8ft on the 5th – but it’s all cross-on winds and the period drops to 14 seconds. At that size, it’s getting too big for beginners, and honestly, with onshores, it might be more interesting for the kite crew than the paddle crew.

The last few days of the outlook fade back into small, weak swell with periods around 13 to 16 seconds, but mostly onshore or cross-shore flow. The 3rd of September afternoon has some moderate energy (1224) with a 5ft SSE swell, but cross-on winds keep it from being a standout.

Bottom line: If you’ve got one session to chase, make it Saturday 29 August afternoon at Doheney. Clean conditions, long-period groundswell, and a reef that knows what to do with it. Everything else is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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