Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for Doheney Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I’ll tell you straight – the first week or so is a drag. The swell is tiny, and the conditions are just not cooperating for any kind of decent surf. The water’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at about 71°, which is nice if you’re just chilling, but it won’t help the waves. From Thursday the 20th all the way through Monday the 25th, it’s mostly ankle to knee-high with the wave energy barely getting going (combined energy in the 200s and 300s), and the wind is either on it, cross-on, or just messy. Not worth paddling out.

We start to see a bit of life from Tuesday the 25th onwards. That morning, the swell ticks up, but it’s still small and the wind is cross-shore. Not a standout. Wednesday the 26th is where things get interesting. The swell builds to about 4ft in the morning and hits 5ft by the afternoon, coming from the S, with a period of 13 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 884 in the morning and then a strong 1046 in the afternoon. That’s a solid pulse of power. The wind is onshore in the morning but goes light cross-onshore in the afternoon with barely any breeze. That afternoon window on the 26th is your first real chance at something fun.

Now, for the true standout in this whole forecast – you’ve got to look at Thursday the 27th into Friday the 28th. Thursday morning has 4ft of SSW swell with a 14-second period and the energy is still pushing 973, but the wind is onshore, so it’s a bit messy. The real gem is Friday the 28th. That morning you’ve got 5ft of SSW swell coming in at 12 seconds, with light cross-onshore wind. Combined energy is 837. But the afternoon is the one: the swell drops to 3ft, but the period lengthens out to a very long 19 seconds, combined energy at 909. That’s a proper groundswell. That long period will wrap beautifully into Doheney’s reef setup, giving you some clean, lined-up waves. Just remember, with that kind of period at a beach break, it can close out a bit, but here on the reef, it should offer some nice walls. The light breeze in the afternoon will keep it glassy.

After that, the energy fades heading into September. The first few days of the month are back to small and weak, with combined energy dropping to the 200s and 300s, and winds getting messy again. The final push comes Thursday the 4th of September, when the afternoon shows 3ft of SSW swell at 16 seconds and combined energy at 597, but with onshore wind. It’s a bit of a tease.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Wednesday afternoon the 26th of August for that bigger 5ft S swell, and especially Friday afternoon the 28th of August for that 19-second groundswell with clean conditions. Don’t expect much before that, and the second week is a slow slide into small stuff. Doheney is fairly consistent, so it won’t stay quiet forever, but this forecast has a long flat spell at the start and only one or two truly good windows.

Rusty.

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