Huntington Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what Huntington Cliffs has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the 16-day window starts off pretty flat and the pattern is a long, slow grind. We've got a lot of small, weak swell and onshore winds making a mess of things for the first week. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing to write home about.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn't come until Wednesday, August 19th. The morning session is the standout of the entire period. We're looking at a clean 3ft SSW groundswell with a long 15-second period, and the wind is glassy – dead calm. That's the kind of morning you set the alarm for. The combined swell energy is weak (325), but for this spot, that small, clean, glassy window is the best we'll see. It's a beginner-friendly wave, so it's a good time for a learner to get out, but the crowds are often there, so expect company.

The rest of the outlook is a real mixed bag of small, weak swells and poor wind. The swell stays tiny, bouncing between 1ft and 2ft, with periods that are all over the place. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, chopping up whatever small waves there are. There are a few mornings with marginal conditions, like Saturday, August 23rd, where a 1ft SW swell with a very long 19-second period shows up, but the wind is onshore, so it's a tough call. That long period would make paddling out easier, but at a spot like this, it might break too straight.

Into the second week, the pattern doesn't change much. The energy starts to creep up a little, and by the end of the month we're seeing 3ft to 3ft SSW swells, but the wind is still a problem. The afternoon of Monday, August 31st, has a 3ft SSW swell (15-second period) with a moderate combined energy (522), but it's crossed up by a cross-onshore wind. The best chance in the second week might be Friday, August 28th, in the afternoon, where a 2ft SSW swell meets a light cross-offshore wind from the ENE, leaving the surf clean. It's a marginal call, but it's the cleanest option in a messy period.

Honestly, for the majority of this 16-day stretch, the small, choppy conditions with onshore wind make it more interesting for kite surfing than getting a traditional paddle board out. Don't hold your breath for a big swell, but keep an eye on the glassy Wednesday morning and that late Friday afternoon.

Rusty.

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