Huntington Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what we've got lined up for the next couple of weeks around Huntington Cliffs.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: the surf is going to be a bit of a struggle for the next week and a half. The pattern is mostly small and pretty messy, with onshore winds messing up what little energy we have. This stretch is more about enjoying a paddle than catching any real gems.

We start off on Sunday, July 19th, with a tiny 0.9m (3 ft) swell from the S, but the wind is onshore and it's not looking clean. The water is a toasty 70°, and that's a solid 4° warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can probably leave the steamer at home.

That marginal, small stuff bleeds right into the next week. Monday the 20th through to Thursday the 24th is just poor or marginal conditions day after day. We're seeing very small swell, mostly under 1m (3 ft), and the wind is consistently onshore or cross-onshore. There's no standout window here for clean waves at all. The combined energy stays in the moderate range, but the short period and bad wind make it a real grind.

Friday morning, the 24th, does show a longer period swell arriving at 0.6m (2 ft) from the SW with a 24-second period, giving it moderate energy. But it's still cross-onshore and choppy, so it's another marginal call. The weekend of the 25th and 26th stays in that same frustrating pattern – light wind but onshore, with swell around 0.8-0.9m (3-3 ft).

We finally see some pulse of energy pick up from Monday the 27th through Wednesday the 29th, with the combined energy jumping into a strong range. Swell from the SW around 1.0-1.1m (3-4 ft) with 16-19 second periods is promising for shape, but the wind remains onshore, so it's going to be bumpy and not the great session we're hoping for. The energy is there, but the surface will be lumpy.

Then there's a bit of a drop-off again on Thursday the 30th with onshore wind and poor surf.

Now here's the standout that’s worth waiting for. Mark your calendars for Friday, August 1st. We get a pulse of stronger swell. Friday morning the 31st of July sees 1.6m (5 ft) from the S with a 16-second period and light onshore wind. The energy jumps to very strong. By the afternoon, it's up to 2.0m (7 ft) from the S with a 16-second period and very strong energy – that is very strong for here. Saturday the 1st of August keeps it going with 2-1.7m (5-6 ft) from the S. This is legit bigger swell, and while the wind is onshore, it's light. For a spot like Huntington Cliffs, which is an exposed beach, a 16-second groundswell from the south with this much energy is the best bet of the whole run. This is more of a solid intermediate-to-expert window, especially on Friday afternoon when it's pushing 2.0m (7 ft). The tide will be a factor, so pick your time.

After that spike, it fades fast into tiny, poor conditions through Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd of August, with the energy dropping back to weak levels.

So, bottom line: the next 10 days or so are slim pickings. The one real standout to get excited about is that strong S swell arriving on Friday the 31st of July and Saturday the 1st of August. It's a promising window, but being so far out, take the forecast with a grain of salt. For now, sit tight and wait for that pulse.

Rusty.

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