Huntington Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for this stretch.

Right off the bat, I’ve gotta be straight with you – this is a tough run. The 16-day window is basically a flat spell with a side of frustration. The first real chance to even think about paddling out doesn’t come until Thursday afternoon, August 6th, and even then it’s not what you’d call a surf. We’re looking at a long gap of nothing worth chasing.

The overall pattern is small, weak, and messy. The swell energy is mostly running in the low to mid 200s (203 to 322), which is weak, and the wave heights are stuck between 2ft and 3ft. The direction is hanging from the SSW, which is onshore for Huntington Cliffs (Huntington Cliffs). That’s a problem. The wind is mostly blowing onshore, with a few cross-on sessions, so the surface is gonna be choppy or at best, bumpy. The water is 72°F on the 6th, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – over 5 degrees above average, so that’s a weird one. But it doesn’t make the surf any better.

The period is long – 13 to 19 seconds – which would be great for a point break, but here at a cliffside beach break, long-period SSW groundswell just breaks straight and closes out. The energy is there in the numbers (like 424 and 501 on the 14th and 15th), but those are still tied to small, poor-quality waves and onshore or cross-onshore wind. The guidance says this spot is “fairly consistent” and the optimum swell is from the WSW, but we’re not getting that. The wind is coming from the wrong direction, and the swell is too small and poorly aligned.

The best on offer – and I use that term loosely – looks like Friday morning, August 14th, and Saturday morning, August 15th. The swell energy jumps to 424 and 501, wave heights climb to 2ft and 3ft, but the wind is WSW and W, which is still cross-onshore. The surf is still “marginal” at best, with questionable tide. It’s not a stand-out; it’s just the least bad option. The period is 19 seconds on the 14th, which is super long, but that’s not helping here. If you’re a beginner, the 2ft to 3ft is safe, but the chop and cross-wind will make it frustrating. For anyone else, it’s a skip.

For the rest of the run, from August 6th through to August 21st, the forecast is consistently “poor surf conditions” or “marginal.” The waves are tiny, the wind is wrong, and the swell direction is against what this break wants. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that’s not unusual when the trade winds set in. The spot is fairly consistent in general, so it won’t stay poor forever, but right now, leave the boards at home.

This is Rusty, signing off.

Read more