Huntington Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Lookin' at the charts for the next couple of weeks, and if you're set on paddling out anywhere in this neck of the woods, you've gotta be a serious optimist. The good news is there's always something to look at, but the bad news is it's a long stretch of pretty average conditions.

We've got one spot on the radar for the whole 16-day window, which is Huntington Cliffs. This beginner-friendly break is fairly consistent, but its saving grace this time around is that it's wide open to a South-Southwest swell, and that's exactly what's coming in. The first surf to speak of kicks off on Saturday morning, August 29th. It's not a barn burner, with a 3 ft swell from the SSW, but the real story here is the period. We're looking at a 17-second groundswell with a combined energy of 650 (moderate energy). That's going to bring some proper lines through, but it's a point break setup, so that long period should wrap in nicely. The early morning has a light breeze swinging offshore, which is a major plus. The water is sitting at a very unusual 74°, which is a full 8° warmer than normal for this time of year – feels like a tropical bath. Crowds are likely here, so get there early.

As the day goes on, the wind swings to the WSW and gets up to 12 mph, turning it into a choppy, cross-onshore mess. Sunday morning, the 30th, drops to a 3 ft, 15-second swell (moderate energy at 564), but the wind is already cross-onshore, so it's not clean. The forecast for the rest of the week into early September is a real bummer. The swell sticks around 2 ft to 3 ft with periods between 11 and 14 seconds, but the wind is nearly always cross-on or onshore, and the scores are telling me the conditions are just poor. There's a window on Tuesday morning, September 1st, with a tiny 2 ft, 11-second swell and next to no wind, but it's a weak 224 energy, so it's a real gamble.

A few pulses pick up again around September 4th and 5th with the swell getting back to 3 ft from the SSW and a 16-second period (energy bumping up to 647), but each time the wind is either light cross-onshore or picks up to a moderate breeze in the afternoon, keeping the surface bumpy. The pattern holds through the second week: a persistent 2 ft to 3 ft SSW swell, but the wind is just never quite right. It's consistently cross-onshore, and the forecasts are all labeled as poor or marginal. There's a slight uptick in size on Tuesday, September 8th afternoon, with a 4 ft swell from the SSW (13-second period, 640 energy), but the wind is a moderate 12 mph cross-onshore, making it a total chop-fest. That's a setup that looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

After that, it fades. The last week from September 10th to the 13th the swell drops to 2 ft and then 2 ft, and the energy trickles down to 144. The wind is mostly onshore or light, but there's just no push to get excited about. The whole 16-day run is a bit of a blank for quality surf. It's a tough stretch, but it happens here. Forecasts can change, and the consistency means it won't stay poor forever.

Rusty.

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