Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Doheny Beach is a reef break that’s fairly consistent and works best with a SSW swell. The water’s sitting at 73°, which is a whopping 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, and it’s going to feel like a warm bath out there.

Right now, the first recommendation isn’t until Tuesday the 25th of August. We’ve got a few days of small, weak, and messy conditions before that. Monday morning the 24th sees tiny 2ft swell from the SW with a very long period of 18 seconds, but it’s cross-shore with light wind, so it’s not really doing anything. The combined energy is weak (302). It’s a no-go.

The first real standout comes Tuesday afternoon the 25th of August. The swell is still small at 2ft from the SW, but the period is a solid 16 seconds, and the wind turns cross-offshore from the WNW, cleaning it right up. The combined energy is moderate (460), and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” For a beginner-friendly reef like Doheny, that’s a sweet little window – clean, small, and manageable. Just be aware that crowds are often here, so expect company.

From Wednesday the 26th through Thursday the 27th, the swell jumps up to 4ft to 5ft from the S, but it’s onshore wind. The period drops to 12 seconds, and the energy climbs to strong (710 to 748), but with onshore wind, it’s going to be a chopped-up mess. Not worth paddling out unless you’re desperate.

Things start looking up again by Saturday the 29th of August. The morning shows 4ft from the SSW with a 17-second period, cross-shore light breeze, and moderate energy (813). But the real highlight is Saturday afternoon: 4ft from the SSW, 16 seconds, cross-offshore wind from the WNW, and strong energy (880). The report says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s the best on offer in the first week. Clean, lined-up, and with that long period, the waves will have plenty of push. Again, crowds are often here, so get in early.

After that, Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st look poor with onshore breezes and choppy surf. There’s a bit of a gap.

Then we have a promising long-range standout. On Thursday the 3rd of September, we see 3ft from the SSW with a very long 19-second period, and the afternoon has cross-offshore wind from the WNW. The combined energy is very strong (941). That’s a clean, powerful groundswell. Then Friday the 4th of September looks even more interesting: 4ft from the SSW, 18 seconds, and light cross-onshore wind in the morning, but the afternoon cleans up with cross-shore light breeze. The energy jumps to extreme (1441) in the afternoon – that’s serious power. This is a long way out, so keep an eye on it, but if it holds, that Friday afternoon could be the standout of the whole run. The swell direction matches the optimum SSW, and with that period, the reef at Doheny should handle it well.

From the 5th of September onward, the swell drops back to around 3ft to 4ft, with moderate energy, but the wind stays mostly cross-shore or cross-offshore, keeping things clean. The last few days into the 7th of September fade out with onshore wind and poor conditions.

So, overall, the best windows are Tuesday afternoon the 25th of August for a clean, small session, and then the long-range promise of Friday the 4th of September afternoon for bigger, more powerful surf. The rest of the 16 days is a mix of average to poor conditions, with a few clean moments in between.

Rusty.

Read more