Huntington Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty average for Huntington Cliffs. There’s a bit of a wait for anything decent, but there is one standout morning that’s got my attention.

The first few days are a write-off. Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th are both marginal, with small swell around 3 ft to 4 ft coming from the SSW. The wind is a problem – cross-on or onshore, making for choppy, bumpy conditions. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting between 621 and 900 (combined energy of all swells directed here). Not worth paddling out for.

Then we get a window. Sunday morning, September 6th is the clear highlight. The swell picks up to a solid 6 ft from the S with a period of 14 seconds, giving it some real grunt. The combined energy shoots up to 1209 (combined energy of all swells directed here), which is a strong, powerful pulse. The wind is a clean 9 mph offshore from the NE. That’s the magic combination – a solid groundswell with glassy, offshore conditions. The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers,” and I’d agree. At 6 ft, it’s not for beginners, but for anyone with a bit of experience, this is the session to aim for. The swell direction is SSW, which is pretty close to the optimum WSW direction for this spot, so it should wrap in nicely. Keep in mind that long period swells (14 seconds) can sometimes close out at beach breaks, but Huntington Cliffs being an exposed spot, it should handle it well enough. Crowds are likely here, so get there early.

After that, the surf drops off fast. Sunday afternoon is still a decent 6 ft, but the wind swings cross-on from the WNW, making it a bit messy. Monday the 7th holds around 6 ft to 6 ft, but the wind stays cross-on, and by the afternoon it’s a choppy 12 mph onshore breeze. The combined energy is still high (over 1300), but the quality is gone.

From Tuesday the 8th onward, it’s a long, slow decline. The swell drops below 3 ft by the 9th, and the combined wave energy falls off a cliff – we’re talking 200 to 500 (combined energy of all swells directed here). The wind is mostly onshore or cross-on, and the wave heights shrink to 1 ft to 2 ft by the middle of the second week. It’s a surf desert for the next 10 days after that Sunday morning. There’s a little uptick in period on the 17th and 18th (22 seconds and 20 seconds), but the swell heights are tiny (1 ft to 2 ft) and the combined energy is still very low (less than 400). Those long-period pulses are just too weak to do anything meaningful.

So, in short: don’t waste your energy on the first few days. The only real standout is Sunday morning, September 6th. That’s your window. After that, the waves are small and the wind is a mess. It’s one of those stretches where the forecast can change, but right now, it looks like a long, flat spell.

Rusty.

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