Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Doheney Beach over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow burner, so don’t go racing for your wettie just yet.

We’ve got some small, pretty weak groundswell energy coming in first, but the wind and wave quality is mostly a write-off for a solid stretch. The water is feeling noticeably warmer than usual for this time of year, running at a balmy 73°F, which is well above average. We’re looking at a few days of cross-shore and cross-onshore breezes with tiny waves barely kissing 2 ft to 2 ft. The energy is in the moderate range (303 to 492), but with such short ride potential, it’s not worth paddling out for. This stretch runs from Sunday afternoon (August 23rd) right through Tuesday afternoon (August 25th).

Then we get a bit of a spike on Wednesday morning, August 26th. Swell builds to 5 ft from the south with a 12-second period, and the energy jumps to 925. But the wind is coming straight onshore from the S, making for a messy face. It’s not surfable, but the pulse is there. Thursday the 27th looks even worse with poor conditions and onshore winds.

Friday the 28th through Saturday the 29th shows some light improvement. We’re seeing 3 ft to 4 ft of SSW groundswell with super long periods (16 to 19 seconds) and the energy is building into the strong range (up to 799). The wind is light and cross-shore, which will help clean it up. It’s still marginal, but Saturday afternoon (August 29th) is the first real window with clean conditions as a WNW breeze goes cross-offshore. The swell is still small at 4 ft, but the long period will put some shape on it.

Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st get blown out again by a SSE wind, so that’s a no-go.

Tuesday, September 1st, we get another clean-up. The morning has a light cross-shore wind with 4 ft south swell at 12 seconds, and the afternoon turns clean with a cross-offshore flow. The energy is still moderate (450-548), but the conditions are there for some fun, small waves.

Now, here’s the standout. Thursday, September 3rd, is the best bet in this whole outlook. We’ve got a long-period SSW groundswell (19 to 20 seconds) pushing in at 3 ft to 3 ft. The wind goes light and cross-offshore from the WNW, which will leave the faces looking like glass. The combined energy is strong (732 to 922). This is the one to circle on your calendar – it’s a proper clean, lined-up groundswell for the reef. The weekend after that is a mixed bag, but Saturday morning, September 5th, delivers excellent conditions for experienced surfers with a 4 ft SSW swell, offshore N wind at 6 mph, and very strong energy (1032). It’ll be clean and powerful for the crew that knows the take-off zone.

Sunday, September 6th, sees a big jump in size with 7 ft of south swell, but at that height on a reef, it starts pushing into expert-only territory, especially with that heavy energy (2701). It’s still workable with light cross-shore wind, but you’ll want your big board and your wits about you.

So, to wrap it up: forget the first week. The true standouts are Thursday, September 3rd, for some glassy, long-period groundswell, and Saturday morning, September 5th, for cleaner, stronger conditions. The last few days of the outlook (around September 6th and 7th) are bigger but for the brave only.

Stay safe, stay frothing.
Rusty.

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