Huntington Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

To be honest, the first week and a half or so is pretty flat. You’re looking at a solid run of poor surf conditions from Thursday, July 9th right through until Friday, July 17th. Swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 3ft, and the wind is cross-onshore or onshore for most of it, keeping things choppy and messy. There’s a brief moment on Sunday afternoon, July 12th, where the wind shifts to light onshore, but the swell is still weak and the period is dropping, so it’s barely a blip. Honestly, not worth paddling out for.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Saturday, July 18th, in the morning. A new S swell pushes in, around 4ft, with a 16-second period and combined energy of 1218 – that’s moderate energy, but the long period means it’ll have some grunt. The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect, but it’s the first decent looking pulse in a while. The afternoon sees it jump to 5ft and 2080 energy, but the wind picks up to a gentle cross-onshore, making it a bit lumpy.

Sunday, July 19th, keeps the swell going. Morning has 6ft from the S, period 13 seconds, energy 1024. It’s still cross-onshore, but the size is there. This is about as big as it gets in the window, but it’s not clean.

The standout window, if you’re really keen, is Saturday morning, July 18th, at Huntington Beach. The swell is 4ft from the south with a 16-second period, delivering those long lines. The combined energy is 1218, which is moderate but solid. The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s not glassy, but it’s the best combo of size and period in the whole 16-day run. Huntington Beach is consistent, and while it’s often crowded, for a Saturday morning you’ll have company. The offshore wind direction is NE, which is a cross-offshore for this spot, so the wind state is a bit of a compromise, but the swell direction (S) is right in the window for the optimum (WSW), so it’s working.

Later in the second week, around Thursday, July 23rd, there’s another pulse: 3ft to 4ft from the SSW, with energy in the 551-736 range. It’s marginal, but better than the flat spells. The wind is light onshore, so it’s not ideal.

Overall, the first week is a write-off. After that, keep an eye on Saturday, July 18th morning for the best chance at a wave. The water temp is about average for the time of year, no big anomaly to report.

Rusty.

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