Huntington Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’ve had a look at the charts for the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it’s a pretty grim run for our little stretch of coast here. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, messy, and onshore waves, so don’t get your hopes up for anything good for a while.

The first proper surf recommendation we see is for Huntington Cliffs on Wednesday, the 19th of August. The water temp is sitting at 70°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s one small win. But the surf itself? It’s only 3 ft of swell coming from the SSW, with a decent 16-second period, but the wind is a cross-on from the WSW at 9 mph. The wave energy is pretty weak (365), and the conditions are poor. It’s a no-go for me.

The rest of that week and into the next is a real bummer. From Thursday the 20th right through to the end of August, the swell hovers around 1 ft to 2 ft, with periods dropping down to 11-14 seconds, and the wind is either cross-on or onshore. The wave energy is weak, sitting between 100 and 300 for most of it. The only small glimmer comes on the mornings of Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th, where the wave comment says things are marginal, but the swell is still tiny at 1 ft to 2 ft, and the wind is onshore. Just not worth paddling out for.

The first real standout, and it’s a tentative one, happens on Saturday the 29th of August. The morning shows a 3 ft swell from the SSW, with a 17-second period, and the wave energy jumps up to a moderate 568. The wind is light and onshore from the WSW, so it’s clean on the face. The wave comment says marginal, and it’s still pretty small, but it’s the best thing we’ve seen in a week and a half. The swell direction is from the SSW, which is a good angle for Huntington Cliffs, but it’s not the optimum WSW direction the spot likes best. Still, it’s the pick of the bunch.

Sunday the 30th of August morning also looks marginal, with a 4 ft swell from the SSW, a 15-second period, and moderate energy (560). The wind is light and cross-on from the SSW, so it’s a little choppy. It’s an option, but not as good as Saturday.

After that, from the 31st of August onwards, we’re back to tiny, weak, and onshore junk. Swell sizes drop to 1 ft to 3 ft, periods fall, and the wind is consistently cross-on or onshore. Nothing to get excited about.

So, to be straight with you: the only real chance at a surf in the entire 16-day window is the morning of Saturday the 29th of August. It’s a long way out, so take that forecast with a pinch of salt, but it’s our best bet. The rest of the time, it’s a board on the beach kind of situation.

Rusty.

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