Isla Vista Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: it’s a pretty grim run for Isla Vista (California). The water’s sitting at 71°, which is a whopping 7° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s really unusual, almost like summer’s overstaying its welcome. But the waves? Sorry, mate, they’re just not cooperating.

We start things off on Thursday morning, 27 August, with a tiny 2 ft swell from the WNW, period of 8 seconds, and combined energy of just 62. That’s weak. The wind is glassy from the NNE, which is a nice touch, but it’s not enough to save the day. The surf is poor. Thursday afternoon goes cross-shore with a bit more energy (277) but still not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 28th sees a little more size – 4 ft in the morning, up to 5 ft in the afternoon – but it’s all wind-affected. Cross-onshore breezes and short 6-second periods make for lumpy, choppy conditions. Not good.

Saturday the 29th brings a long-period swell from the SW (17 seconds) with combined energy hitting 599, which is moderate. But the problem is it’s only 2 ft, and the wind is cross-onshore at 15 mph in the afternoon. That’s a frustrating combo. Sunday morning the 30th has a 3 ft SSW swell, 15-second period, and onshore wind – marginal at best, but I’d still leave the board on the car.

From Monday 31 August all the way through to Wednesday 10 September, it’s a long stretch of nothing special. Swell heights bounce between 1 ft and 4 ft, mostly from the SSW, with periods ranging from 11 to 16 seconds. Combined energy stays between 105 and 448. The wind is almost always cross-onshore or onshore, and the surf is consistently rated poor. There’s a couple of mornings that are marginal, like Thursday 3 September and Friday 4 September, with 3 ft and 3 ft swell and decent energy, but the wind just isn’t clean enough to make it fun.

By the second week – 7 September onward – the swell stays small, 1 ft to 3 ft, with long periods up to 18 seconds, but again, the wind is all wrong. Thursday 10 September afternoon has a 3 ft swell and moderate energy of 384, but a fresh 15 mph cross-onshore wind kills it.

The last day in the forecast, Friday 11 September afternoon, shows a 6 ft swell from the WNW with a short 6-second period, and a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore breeze. That’s more of a choppy, lumpy mess than anything surfable. Honestly, for a beach and reef setup like Isla Vista, this whole run looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There are no good surf options in this 16-day window. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that’s not too unusual. The breaks are fairly consistent normally, so it tends not to stay poor for long – forecasts can change, and we might see something better pop up. But for now, leave the boards at home.

Rusty.

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