Doheney Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for any real waves. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak surf ahead, so don’t get your hopes up for any heroics. It’s going to be a lot of knee-high dribble and closeouts, unless you’re a log or a foamy, and even then, you’ll be scratching for anything.

The window starts with nothing decent on the table. Thursday and Friday, we're looking at small, weak SW swell around 2ft to 3ft with a short period, and the wind is on it. It’s not going to be worth the paddle. The energy is weak, with readings in the low hundreds, and it's just not doing anything for us.

The weekend doesn't get any better. Saturday and Sunday, the swell drops even more, and while the period stretches out a bit, the size is just too small. The wind is cross-shore, adding some chop. It's a full-on skunk session. The energy stays weak, mostly in the low to mid two-hundreds.

Early next week, we see a slight bump in energy but no real size. Monday through Wednesday, the swell holds around 2ft from the SW, but it's still inconsistent and small. The energy does climb a little into the 300s and even 400s, but it's all for nothing as the waves are still too weak to be fun.

Here's a small glimmer: the following Friday, the 28th of August, there’s a bit more push with a 3ft SSW swell and a longer 19-second period. The energy jumps up to moderate. It’s a long-period groundswell, but at that size, it’s still going to be pretty soft. The wind is light cross-onshore, which won't help, but it’s the best-looking window in the whole run before that. Still, you won’t be getting barreled.

The next day, Saturday the 29th, sees the biggest swell of the period, with 4ft on the afternoon. The energy is the strongest we'll see. Still, the wind is cross-shore and it's just a marginal, lumpy mess. It’s not going to be clean.

After that, it fades back out again. The first few days of September are looking poor, with onshore winds and weak, inconsistent swell. The energy levels stay moderate but the conditions and size just don't line up.

So, honestly, there’s not a standout day in this forecast. If you are desperate, the late afternoon on Monday the 31st of August looks like the most promising from a wind perspective, with a light cross-offshore breeze and the swell pushing 3ft. It’s not big, but it might be the cleanest you’ll get. But even then, it's a knee-to-waist-high day at best. It's a lot of waiting for very little reward.

If this is the sort of run you're used to, you know it won't last. Forecasts can change on a dime, but right now, I’d say keep the board in the car and the wax in the drawer. We’ll be waiting for the ocean to wake up.

Rusty, out.

Read more