Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ at the next couple weeks for us here. Gotta be straight with you: it’s a pretty grim stretch. We’ve got some small, weak swell at the start, but it’s all tangled up with onshore or cross-onshore winds, and the energy just isn’t there. The real surf is pretty much a no-show after the first few days, with a long, flat gap that’ll test your patience. Let’s see if there’s anything worth paddling out for.

The first bit of action is Tuesday, July 28th, at Doheney Beach. It’s a reef break, beginner-friendly, but don’t expect much. The morning sees a 4ft swell from the SSW with a very long period of 17 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy, but it’s a bit too straight for the beach break setup here. The combined energy is moderate at 1067, but the wind is straight onshore from the S at 9 mph, which is going to mess up the face. The afternoon is a little better: 4ft from the SSW, still 17 seconds, but the wind drops to 6 mph from the SSW, though it’s cross-onshore, leaving small ripples. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild. Honestly, neither session is a standout. The scores are low, and the conditions are marginal.

Wednesday, July 29th, is more of the same. Morning swell drops to 4ft from the SSE, period still long at 15 seconds, but the wind is onshore again at 9 mph. The afternoon bump up to 4ft from the SSW, 16 seconds, with a light cross-onshore breeze. The energy is there (1159 for the afternoon), but the wind keeps it from being clean. This is not the day to get excited.

Thursday, July 30th, the morning has a 5ft swell from the S, period 14 seconds, with a light cross-shore wind from the WSW. That’s the best wind condition we’ll see in this whole run, but the swell is still a bit short for real quality. The energy is moderate at 976. The afternoon drops back to 4ft. It’s the best shot of the week, but it’s still not a day you’d tell your mates about.

From Friday, July 31st, it starts to fade. The swell is 5ft to 4ft, but the wind remains cross-onshore, and the energy drops each day. By Saturday, August 2nd, the swell bottoms out to 2ft, and the wind is onshore. Then we hit a dead zone. From Sunday, August 3rd, all the way through to Tuesday, August 12th, the swell sits at 1ft to 3ft, with poor surf conditions straight down the line. The energy drops into the double digits, even hitting 95 on the 6th of August. That’s a long, 10-day stretch of flat, choppy nothing. The wind is mostly cross-onshore, and the occasional longer period (like 18 seconds on the 7th) just means long waits for tiny, weak waves.

The only small flicker of hope comes on Wednesday, August 12th, the last day in the forecast. We get a 2ft swell from the SW, with a very long period of 18 seconds, and a cross-shore wind from the W. The energy is up to 445, but it’s still a marginal call. The long period means it might break better at a reef or point, but Doheney Beach is a beach-and-reef setup, so it’s probably going to be too straight and small to be fun. It’s a tease, not a session.

If you’re a kite surfer, the afternoons with onshore wind and small chop might be more your thing than a paddle surfer’s dream. For the rest of us, this is a waiting game. The beginning of the run has the most size, but it’s never clean. The whole second week is a write-off. Hang tight, check back later – forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a bonfire and a beer kind of stretch.

Rusty.

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