Isla Vista Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Isla Vista has lined up for us. Gotta be straight with you – this stretch looks pretty bleak for a solid surf. The water’s running a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 64°, but that's about the only bright spot early on.

We kick things off Monday morning, July 6th, with a small 2ft swell rolling in from the SSW with a long 16-second period. The combined energy is moderate at (377). Problem is, the wind is cross-on at 6 mph, and the report calls it poor conditions. Not worth paddling out. That theme sticks around for the next few days. Tuesday and Wednesday bring slightly bigger swell, up to 3ft, and the energy picks up to moderate (548-630), but the wind stays cross-on or onshore, keeping things choppy and messy.

There's a bit of a shift Thursday, July 9th, through the weekend. The swell bumps up a touch, with a 4ft to 4ft swell from the WNW on Thursday and a 4ft swell Friday morning. The energy is still moderate (396-523). We get some onshore wind early, but by Friday afternoon the breeze drops to a slight air, and the glassy conditions Saturday afternoon, July 11th, finally give us a chance. That's the best we see – a tiny 2ft SSW swell, 14-second period, and glassy wind. It's surfable, but very ordinary. Crowds are often a thing here, so you might have company for those weak little lines.

From Sunday, July 12th, we hit a real dry spell. For days on end, it's mostly poor conditions with small swell under 2ft. The combined energy drops way down, often in the 100-200 range. There are glimpses of glassy conditions on Monday morning, July 13th, and some onshore winds through the rest of the week, but nothing that gets the heart rate up. We see a bit of a pulse on the 16th and 17th with some 3ft WNW swell, but the period drops to just 8 seconds, which is weak and choppy. Honestly, from the 12th right through to the 21st, there’s nothing to get excited about. If you’re a beginner, the swell never really gets over 5ft, so it’s not a danger zone, but the quality just isn’t there.

Given the persistent onshore and cross-on wind with small, weak swell, this setup at a beach and reef break like Isla Vista looks more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle surfers for most of this outlook. The conditions just aren’t cooperating. We’ll have to wait for the next forecast change.

Rusty, signing off.

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