Huntington Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for the next stretch.

To be straight with you, this is a tough run ahead. For the entire 16-day window, I’m only seeing a couple of sessions that even nudge past the "poor" mark, and they’re a long way off. Mostly, we’re looking at persistent cross-onshore winds and small, messy surf. The combined wave energy rarely breaks 500 (moderate at best), and the swell is short enough to keep things unexciting. There’s a gap of several days at the start with no real recommendations, so don’t rush to wax your board.

Let’s talk about the only spot on the list: Huntington Cliffs (United States). This is a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent break that’s exposed to the open ocean. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing wild there.

The pick of the litter, and I mean the *only* real hope, falls on Sunday, September 20th. The afternoon session shows a 3 ft swell from the SW with a period of 18 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell with some long-period pulse. The combined energy hits 537, which is moderate and the best we see. The wind is light and cross-onshore from the SSW, which will keep surface texture small. At 3 ft, it’s not big, but for a beginner spot, that’s a fun, rideable size. The conditions are described as "marginal" rather than outright poor, so this is our standout. The morning of the 20th is also worth a look with similar 3 ft SW swell and 506 energy, just a bit lighter wind. Keep in mind, crowds are listed as "often" here, so expect company.

The other session that almost gets a nod is Sunday, September 13th morning. It’s a 3 ft swell from the W, but with a period of only 7 seconds. That’s short-period, choppy windswell, and the 205 energy is weak. It’s a marginal call, but with the wind light and cross-onshore, it might offer a few lumpy ones if you’re desperate.

For the rest? Thursday the 10th right through Saturday the 19th (most of the first week) is best spent on the beach with a cold one. The swell is small, the wind is often cross-onshore, and the scores are flat zeroes. The second week doesn’t get much better – by Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th, the swell drops to 2 ft and 2 ft, with light rain on the 24th and moderate cross-onshore wind making it choppy. No real recovery in sight.

This is one of those stretches where the forecast just doesn’t want to cooperate. It’s not a common pattern, but it happens. Keep an eye on the charts – things can change.

Rusty.

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