Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the local stretch. It’s gonna be a quiet few weeks with one late spike of action. So, bring your patience.

Right now, it’s all about tiny waves. Doheny Beach has ankle-to-knee-high stuff (1ft to 3ft) from the SSW. It’s a beginner-friendly reef, fairly consistent, but with these heights, it’s just enough to paddle around on. The water is a strange 73°F right now, which is way warmer than normal for this time of year. The wind is light, mostly side-offshore or side-onshore, keeping the surface clean. The swell energy is weak, reading between 368 and 454. It’s marginal, but if you have a log and zero expectations, you might find a knee-high glide.

This pattern of small, weak surf continues for days on end. Through the end of August, we’re looking at the same 1ft to 3ft SSW to SW swell. Winds stay light and variable. The energy is low, mostly in the 200s and 300s. It’s a long, flat stretch.

Then, on Saturday, August 29th, things change. The swell finally builds to a real 4ft from the SSW. The energy jumps to over a thousand (1083 on Saturday morning). That’s serious power. The catch? The wind is onshore early on, making a mess of it. But by Saturday afternoon the wind goes side-onshore, cleaning it up. This is your best window. Sunday morning looks good too, with 5ft SSW swell and side-onshore wind keeping it rideable. That’s the punch of the whole 16 days. The period is 16 to 18 seconds, so it’s long-period groundswell with good shape and energy, but it’ll be walled up at a beach break. For a reef like Doheny, that’s a good thing.

So, the standout is the afternoon of August 29th through the morning of August 30th. Decent size, lots of grunt, and a rare window of decent wind. Get out there if you can.

After that, it drops back under 3ft from August 31st onward. Back to the small stuff again.

Stay keen, stay patient. That one window is the only real hope.
Rusty.

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