Huntington Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty checkin' in from the Huntington Pier zone. The water's sitting at a balmy 73°F, which is a whopping 6°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that's wild, feels like bathwater out there.

Look, I gotta be straight with you: the next 16 days are a real tough stretch for anyone looking to get a proper wave. The swell energy is pretty weak, barely cracking 300–400 (combined energy of all swells directed here) most days, with the biggest pulses only hitting the mid-700s. The swells are coming from the south and southwest, which is about as good as it gets for the pier, but the real problem is the wind. We're stuck with a constant cross-onshore or onshore breeze, just light to moderate, and it's messing up the surface. It's one of those periods where the forecast looks like a flat, choppy mess.

For the first week, from Tuesday the 25th of August through to the end of the month, the mornings at Huntington Pier offer the best of a bad lot. You're looking at tiny, marginal surf around 2 ft to 3 ft from the SW, with a period of 16 seconds – that's a long period groundswell, which means clean, lined-up waves, but the sets are few and far between. The problem is that cross-onshore wind, even if it's light, is putting a bit of a ruffle on the face. It's rideable, but only just. The afternoons are a write-off, with onshore wind and poor conditions.

The second week goes from bad to worse. The end of August and start of September sees the swell drop even more, down to 2 ft to 3 ft, and the period gets shorter, dropping to 10–13 seconds. The wind stays stubbornly cross-onshore. By the time we hit the 7th and 8th of September, the scores are all zeros – it's totally flat and choppy. The only faint glimmer is a morning on the 9th of September with a 3 ft SW swell at 18 seconds, but again, it's let down by the wind.

Honestly, if you're desperate, the very best window is the morning of Wednesday the 26th of August. The swell pushes to 4 ft from the S at 12 seconds, and the combined energy of all swells directed here is 717 – that's the highest we'll see. It's still cross-onshore, but a 4 ft peak with that energy is the closest thing to a proper wave we've got. Don't expect perfection, but it's the standout in a flat spell. For a bit of a longer period, the Saturday morning of the 29th of August has a 3 ft SSW swell at 17 seconds and a combined energy of 566 – nice long lines, but again, the wind will have it a bit messy.

So, to sum it up: we're in a run of mostly poor, marginal surf. The pier is very consistent, but the conditions just aren't cooperating. The best of it is in the mornings during the first week, with that 4 ft peak on Wednesday the 26th being the one to pencil in. After that, the second week is a real struggle. The water's warm, but the waves aren't. Keep your expectations low – this is a classic case of "wait for the next system."

Rusty.

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