Isla Vista Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you on this one. I’ve had a good look at what’s on offer for Isla Vista over the next 16 days, and honestly, it’s a tough stretch. The forecast doesn’t really give us a single standout session where everything clicks, so we’re going to have to pick through the scraps.

The overall pattern is a whole lot of nothing. We’re looking at wave heights that barely get past 3 feet, with the wind almost always blowing onshore or cross-onshore, which is going to mess up any chance of a clean face. The water is sitting at 68°F – that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit, but that’s about the only good news.

We start on Thursday 30 July. The morning has a tiny 2ft swell from the SSW, but it’s a long-period 15 second groundswell, which can be alright for points and reefs. Problem is the wind is a light cross-onshore, and combined wave energy is only moderate at 267. It’s a marginal call, and the afternoon goes to crap with stronger onshore wind. Honestly, not worth paddling out for.

Friday 31 July is similar. The morning nudges up to 2ft, still from the south, but 12 seconds is still a nice long period. The wind is straight onshore though, and the energy drops to 323. It’s a “maybe” if you’re desperate, but it’s not going to be good.

From Saturday 1 August right through to Sunday 9 August, it’s a grim run. We’re stuck with wave heights between 1ft and 4ft, and nearly every single session has the wind either onshore or cross-onshore. The swells are mostly short period around 8-9 seconds, which means weak, crumbly junk. The combined energy drops into the weak zone, below 100 on many days, hitting as low as 57. The best of this bad run is probably Sunday 2 August morning with 4ft from the WNW at 9 seconds, but it’s still onshore wind. That’s a beach-break setup, and with that short period, it’s going to be a bumpy, closeout mess.

The second week from 10 August onwards doesn’t get any better. Swell sizes stay tiny, around 1ft to 2ft. The wind is relentless – onshore or cross-onshore every day. The period does get very long again, hitting 20 seconds on 10 August, but that’s a groundswell prone to breaking straight on a beach break like Isla Vista. The combined energy numbers climb back into the moderate range, hitting 366 on 12 August, but with the wind direction and the size being so small, it’s just not going to produce a rideable wave.

So, the standout session? There isn’t one. If I had to pick the closest thing to a window, it would be the morning of Thursday 12 August. The swell is 2ft from the SSW with a very long 18-second period, and the combined energy is moderate at 308. The wind is onshore from the SW at 6 mph, which is still not ideal, but it’s the lightest of a bad bunch. It’s a long shot, and it’s still a marginal forecast. With the crowds being “often” there, you’ll have company for the tiny, wind-affected waves.

Bottom line: this is a tough 16-day outlook for Isla Vista. The swell is small, the wind is wrong, and the quality is poor. A blank run like this is not unusual for the area, but it tends not to stay poor for long. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, I’d leave the board in the car.

Rusty.

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