Huntington Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a pretty tough stretch ahead for Huntington Beach. The starting gun is on Monday, August 3rd, but don’t get your hopes up too high just yet.

Right off the bat, the water is sitting at a very unusual 73°F and it’s much warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a talking point on the beach, but for the surf, it’s not the headline.

The overall pattern is a long, drawn-out period of small, weak swells. The first week is a real struggle. From Monday morning right through to the end of the following week, we’re looking at tiny waves – mostly around 1 ft to 2 ft. The combined wave energy is weak to moderate – think values like 81, 131, 199 (weak energy to moderate). The only saving grace is that the wind is often light, but it’s almost always onshore or cross-onshore, which keeps the surface messy. Every single day in the first week is labelled as poor surf conditions. Honestly, there’s nothing to recommend here.

The second week, starting around August 12th, doesn't get much better. The swell height cranks up to a massive... 2 ft to 3 ft. The energy values climb into the mid-200s to low 400s, which is still only moderate. The wind stays a problem, mostly cross-onshore, with a few afternoons seeing a moderate breeze from the west that will chop it up. The best you can say is that a few mornings (like the 12th, 13th, and 15th) are only "marginal" rather than outright poor.

The only real standout, if you can call it that, is Huntington Beach. It’s the only break on the menu, and it’s consistent, which is rare for this kind of a dead run. The forecast suggests the swell will be from the SSW, which is close to the optimum WSW direction, but the size is just too small to do anything with. The best guess for a surfable window is the morning of Friday, August 14th. The swell is from the SSW, period is long at 18 seconds, and the energy is moderate (425). The wind is light and onshore, so it might be glassy for a short window. It’s still only 2 ft, so it’s a longboard-only kind of day, but it’s the best we’ve got. Crowds? With Huntington, they are often there, so expect company even on the small stuff.

For the rest of it, look, it’s pretty grim. There are no standout options here. The wave energy just isn't there, and the wind is rarely your friend. For the first 11 days, the forecast is a blank run. This is a tough patch, but it’s Huntington – it tends not to stay flat for long, and the forecasts can change. We’ll keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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