Huntington Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Huntington Beach (United States) over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – it’s a frustrating stretch for the most part. We’ve got a long gap of poor to marginal conditions lasting from Monday, August 17th all the way through the end of next week. The main issue is a persistent cross-onshore wind from the WSW that’s keeping things choppy and messy. The swell is small and weak, mostly hanging around 1 ft to 3 ft from the SSW or SW, with combined wave energy mostly in the low to moderate range (between 120 and 495). The water temperature is about normal for this time of year, no major anomalies to report.

Now, the standout moment in this whole 16-day window is Wednesday morning, August 27th. We’ve got a glassy, clean start to the day with a light SSE wind that’s practically offshore. The swell is a modest 2 ft from the SW with a period of 14 seconds – that’s enough for some clean, lined-up waves on the incoming tide. The combined energy is moderate (236). This is the best the forecast gets – a proper window for a dawn session before the wind picks up. It’s a small day, but if you’re after some clean, fun waves, this is your best bet. The swell direction is a little south of the optimum WSW, but the glassy conditions make up for it.

Another one to keep an eye on is Friday afternoon, August 28th. We get a shift to a light offshore ENE wind at 9 mph, cleaning things up nicely. The swell bumps up a touch to 2 ft from the SSW with a 16-second period. Combined energy is moderate (285). It’s not a big day, but the wind is right and the sets should have some shape. This one’s promising but still a ways out, so keep an eye on the forecast.

For the rest of the time, it’s a waiting game. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, the swell is small, and the energy is weak to moderate. The long period swells (14-19 seconds) are more suited to the point and reef setups, but Huntington’s mostly a beach break, so those long-period waves might break a bit too straight for the best shape. If you’re a beginner, the small days are fine, but anything over 5 ft isn’t on the menu anyway.

In summary: the best surf is on Wednesday morning, August 27th for clean small waves, with Friday afternoon, August 28th as a solid backup. The rest of the window is a write-off. Don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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