Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, with a look at what's coming down the pipe for Doheney Beach.

To be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty marginal. This is a classic run of small, inconsistent surf, so don't expect any fireworks. The water is sitting around 72°, which is a good 5° warmer than average for this time of year – pretty noticeable, you'll be comfortable in a shorty or even just boardshorts on the warmer afternoons. The combined swell energy is mostly moderate, sitting between 100 and 500, so nothing with any real punch.

We start off on the 18th of August with a small 2ft SSW groundswell at 17 seconds. That's a long period, which usually means good shape for the reef here, and the light cross-shore breeze will keep things clean enough. It’s small, though, and the energy is weak (394). The next few days through the 20th see the swell sticking around the 3ft to 3ft mark from the SSW, but the wind turns onshore out of the south, making for some bumpy conditions. Honestly, the quality just isn't there.

The 21st and 22nd are even smaller, dropping to 2ft, and we’ve got a mix of onshore and cross-shore breezes. It's pretty bleak. There's a bit of a pulse on the 23rd with a 2ft SSW swell, but the period jumps to a very long 19 seconds. For a beach and reef setup like this, that kind of period can make the waves break too straight, so it's a caveat. Still light winds, but nothing to get excited about.

The pattern continues through the end of August and into the first of September with waves hovering between 2ft and 3ft. The best of a bad bunch might be the 28th of August afternoon where a 2ft SSW swell combines with a 19-second period for a solid 482 energy reading. But it's still light cross-onshore, keeping the surface a little bumpy.

Now, the standout window, such as it is, falls on the 29th of August. We do see a small bump in size to 4ft to 4ft from the SSW. The period is a decent 16 to 17 seconds, and the energy pushes up into the moderate-to-stronger range at 744 to 795. The wind on the Saturday morning is light and onshore, but the Saturday afternoon looks better with a light cross-onshore breeze. This is your best bet if you're eager – the bigger, longer-period swell will offer the most push on the reef, even if it isn't clean perfection. Crowds are "often" here, so expect company on what will likely be the only rideable waves of the week.

After that, we drift right back into the 2ft to 3ft range through the 2nd of September, with the usual light breezes. The overall outlook is pretty quiet, but as we know, it rarely stays poor for long around here. Hang tight.

Rusty.

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