Huntington Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for Huntington Cliffs.

Honestly, mate, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the next sixteen days are a bit of a grind. The swell is small for the most part, and the winds are all over the shop, rarely giving us that clean, glassy window we’re all chasing. Water temps are sitting at 69°, which feels a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, at least to start with.

We kick off Friday the 21st with some tiny 2ft SSW swell, but it’s got a decent 13-second period on it. Problem is the onshore wind is messing it up, and the call is poor surf conditions. That sets the tone for the first few days. Saturday the 22nd is similar, with 1-2ft waves and cross-onshore wind chopping it up. The overall wave energy is weak to moderate at best (131).

Sunday the 23rd morning actually sees the energy climb a bit to 251, with a 1ft SW swell but a lovely long 19-second period. However, the report calls it marginal, and by afternoon that cross-onshore wind messes it up again.

The best chance we get in the first week is probably Tuesday the 25th. The swell bumps up to 3ft from the S in the morning, with energy jumping to 589. That’s moderate energy. Wind is light from the WSW – offshore for this spot, which is a major positive for clean conditions. The period is 16 seconds, suggesting some real groundswell energy, but it’s also a long period, so at a beach/reef setup like this, it might break a bit shut down. Still, it’s the standout window early on. The afternoon gets a little bigger at 3ft but the wind swings cross-onshore.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th show a bit more size pushing 4-5ft from the S, but again, constant cross-onshore winds are robbing us of quality. The energy is solid (up to 790 on Wednesday morning), so there’s plenty of push, just not the clean lines we want.

After that, we roll into a long stretch of poor surf conditions. From Friday the 28th all the way through to Saturday the 5th of September, it’s a mix of marginal to poor calls. The swell stays in the 2ft to 3ft range, with constant onshore or cross-onshore winds. The energy dips and spikes, but the quality is never there. You’ll see the odd window with light offshore wind, like Sunday morning the 30th with a 3ft SSW swell and slight air, but it’s still only marginal. This is a real desert period, about a week or so with nothing worth paddling out for.

Honestly, if you’re desperate, the Tuesday morning the 25th is the only real pick of the litter – light offshore wind, a 3ft swell, and some longer-period energy. It won’t be pumping, but it’ll be the cleanest you’ll see. Everything else is pretty much a write-off for paddle surfing; if the wind keeps up and the swell stays this size, it might be a better week to dust off the kite.

Rusty.

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