Huntington Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, it’s Rusty. Let’s be real upfront: the next couple of weeks are a flat spell for Huntington Pier. We’ve got a long gap here with no surf worth paddling out for. The water is sitting at a balmy 71°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—a bit of a treat if you’re just floating around, but it won’t help the waves.

The first sign of anything is on Wednesday morning, the 16th of September. Even then, it’s only a marginal call with a tiny 3ft swell from the SSW, period around 18 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, which can bring some shape, but at a beach break like this it tends to close out straight. The energy is moderate at best (370). Wind is light and cross-onshore, so it’ll be ripply. Honestly, it’s barely a session.

From there, we roll through a string of poor surf days. Thursday the 17th morning sees a bit more energy (452) with the same 2ft SSW swell, but wind goes cross-onshore again with a light breeze. Friday the 18th morning is similar—2ft SW swell, long 19-second period, moderate energy (398), but again light cross-onshore wind and messy conditions. Saturday the 19th morning has 2ft SW swell, 18-second period, energy at 349, with light onshore wind—still not clean.

The week that follows is more of the same. Sunday the 20th through Tuesday the 22nd all show 2ft to 3ft SW swell, periods around 17-18 seconds, energy climbing into the 400s, but every session is plagued by cross-onshore or onshore winds. There’s a marginal chance on Tuesday morning the 22nd with light cross-onshore breeze and 3ft SW swell (372), but it’s nothing to get excited about. Wednesday the 23rd morning is another marginal window—3ft SW swell, 15-second period, light onshore wind (312).

After that, it drops off. Thursday the 24th through Sunday the 27th of September, we’re looking at 2ft to 3ft SW swell, periods dropping to 13-16 seconds, energy falling into the 100s and 200s, with onshore or cross-onshore winds. The afternoon of the 26th has a 1ft SW swell with an 18-second period, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy.

Look, Huntington Pier is a very consistent spot, so this dry spell is a bit unusual. But when the swell is this small and the wind is never truly offshore, it’s just not worth the effort. If you’re desperate, the best of a bad bunch is probably Wednesday morning the 16th or Tuesday morning the 22nd, but don’t expect much. The long-period groundswell will make it tricky at a beach break like this—reefs or points would handle it better. Crowds are often a problem here, but with surf this poor, you might actually have some room. The only standout? There isn’t one. This is a wait-and-see situation.

Rusty

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