Huntington Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this stretch of the forecast is a tough one for Huntington Cliffs. The whole 16-day window is a real struggle, with nothing that's going to get the heart racing. The overall pattern is small, short-period, SSW swell with a persistent cross-onshore or onshore breeze that's just messing with the surface. There’s no standout day, no hidden gem, it's just a long, flat spell of poor surf conditions.

Right from the start on Friday, August 7th, it's a write-off. The combined wave energy is a modest 302 but the wind is a cross-onshore 9 mph, which is a recipe for chop. The water temperature is a toasty 72°F, which is over 5°F warmer than normal for this time of year – very unusual – but it won't matter when you’re bobbing around on 2 ft, 19-second groundswell. That long period is a tease; it's got the energy, but it's just too small and blown out to do anything with.

Saturday the 8th through to the end of the first week is a repeat of the same story. Small 2 ft to 3 ft swell from the SSW, with onshore and cross-onshore winds from the WSW and SW. The period drops from 19 seconds down to 13 seconds, so the quality of the sets is getting worse. Every single session is flagged as "poor surf conditions" – it's a proper grind. The combined energy stays in the mid-200s to low-300s (moderate), but it's all noise.

Moving into the second week, from around Thursday, August 13th, there’s a slight uptick in the numbers. You’ll see combined energy values jump into the 400s and even 500s on the 14th and 15th, with a 3 ft to 3 ft swell. But don't let the numbers fool you – the wind is still a cross-onshore mess from the WSW, cranking up to 12 mph. The wave comment is still "poor surf conditions" or "marginal" at best. This is straight-up choppy, jumbled water. For a beach setup like this, with that wind and swell, it’s honestly looking more interesting for kite surfing than for a proper paddle session.

The final stretch from the 18th to the 22nd of August fades out to nothing. Tiny 2 ft to 3 ft swell, cross-onshore winds, and combined energy dropping back into the 200s. There’s a brief window of onshore wind on the 20th, but it’s on 3 ft, 15-second swell – still not enough to make anything worthwhile.

Look, sometimes it just doesn't fire. The consistency is there, but the quality is not. The forecasts can change, but for now, it’s a long, blank run of poor surf. Keep the board in the car if you fancy a splash, but don't expect any waves.

Rusty.

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