Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at Doheney Beach over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you—this isn't one of those epic runs. The first half of the outlook is pretty flat and messy, but there’s a little glimmer of hope right at the end.

We’re starting on Thursday the 13th, and it's a bit of a write-off for a while. Doheny’s a reef break, good for beginners, but the swell's coming from the SW at about 3 ft with a decent 16-second period. That's a long-period groundswell, which usually means better shape, but the water is much warmer than normal at 75°, and the combined wave energy is moderate (418). The problem is that cross-onshore wind from the SW at 9 mph is putting chop on it. Conditions just aren't there. Honestly, from Thursday the 13th through to the 23rd of August, the surf is either tiny or blown out. There’s a stretch there of over a week where it’s hard to get excited. Most days have the swell hanging between 1 ft and 4 ft, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, keeping things choppy and messy.

Around Saturday the 23rd, we see the wind shift to a cross-offshore from the WNW, which cleans things up, but by then the swell drops off to just 2 ft. It’s clean, but tiny.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The standout period starts on Tuesday the 25th of August. The swell picks up from the S, 3 ft in the morning building to 5 ft by the afternoon. The period drops to 14 seconds and then 17 seconds, so it's still got some decent groundswell energy. The combined wave energy jumps to 811 and then 1043—that’s strong to very strong energy. That’s the best we’re going to see. The wind is light cross-onshore from the SW, so there will be a few ripples, but for Doheny, that’s the best look in the whole forecast. By Wednesday the 26th, it’s still around 3 to 4 ft from the S, but the wind goes more cross-shore. It’s still a solid session for beginners and intermediate surfers, but those bigger afternoon waves on Tuesday might be a little much for total beginners.

The rest of the tail end into the 28th drops back into onshore wind and smaller swell. So, the call is clear: circle Tuesday the 25th of August. It’s not perfect, but it’s the most energy we see, and it’s surfable.

Rusty out.

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