Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Doheney Beach over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off, with the models showing nothing but poor conditions day after day. It’s not until we get deep into the second week that we finally see a glimmer of something rideable. Patience is going to be the key here.

We start off on Tuesday, August 4th with tiny 1 ft of weak, long-period groundswell from the SW. The water temp is a very unusual 76°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing that’s pumping. Winds are onshore or cross-shore, the energy is weak, and the wave comment says it all – poor. This grim pattern sticks around for days. Wednesday and Thursday are the same story: 1 ft to 2 ft, light cross-onshore breezes, and surf that’s just not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 7th through to Monday the 10th see the swell energy climb a bit, but the swell height only nudges up to 3 ft or 3 ft. The winds are still light and cross-onshore or onshore, so the surface stays a bit lumpy. The surf is still rated as poor. Tuesday the 11th is another low-energy day.

Things start to look a little more interesting around Thursday, August 13th and Friday the 14th. The swell height gets up to 2 ft, and the period stays long, between 16 and 18 seconds. The combined energy shows there’s some proper power in the water. But the catch? The winds are still cross-onshore, keeping things messy. The reports call it “marginal” at best. Saturday the 15th morning brings our first real highlight: 4 ft of SSW swell with a 16-second period and strong energy. The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s not glassy, but it’s the biggest swell we’ve seen. This is the standout of the whole 16 days for Doheney Beach – a proper groundswell that will have some push, but the cross-onshore breeze will stop it from being perfect.

After that, we slide back into smaller, marginal surf for Sunday and Monday. Then, on Wednesday, August 19th, we get another interesting window. The morning shows 2 ft of SSW swell with a 15-second period. The wind swings around to a light cross-offshore breeze from the WNW. The report says “expect good surf conditions” and the wave state is described as “clean.” This is the second standout: the wind finally works in our favour. It’s small, but clean, lined-up waves from a long-period swell at a reef break – that’s a whole different vibe to the wind-affected slop we’ve been looking at.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is a total dud. The two sessions to circle on the calendar are the morning of Saturday, August 15th for the biggest swell of the period (4 ft from the SSW), and the morning of Wednesday, August 19th for the cleanest conditions with that cross-offshore breeze. Neither is a classic, but they’re the best we’ve got. The reef at Doheney (United States) can handle a long-period SW groundswell, so keep an eye on those dates.

Stay patient, and don’t waste your time on the flat, choppy days.

Rusty.

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