Laguna Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about this stretch. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it.

Look, it’s a tough run for Laguna Beach. We’ve got a 16-day window here, but the first week or so is pretty much a write-off. From Sunday the 2nd right through to about Saturday the 8th, it’s all “poor surf conditions” and scores of zero. You’d be paddling out for nothing, mostly tiny 1 ft to 2 ft swell with a cross-on breeze messing things up. Not worth the wax.

The water temperature is sitting at 73°F with an anomaly of 7°F, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year. Feels like a bath out there, but the waves just aren’t playing ball.

From around Sunday the 9th, we start to see a bit more energy, but it’s still marginal. The swell stays tiny – 2 ft to 3 ft – with that SSW direction coming in at a long period (15 to 19 seconds). That’s proper groundswell, but the problem is, Laguna Beach is a reef break that’s fairly exposed to WNW, and this SSW swell is coming in cross-on. The period is long enough to suggest some shape, but the wind is never fully offshore – it’s always cross-on or onshore – so the surface stays bumpy.

The combined energy figures start climbing into the 200s and 300s from the 7th onwards, which is moderate energy, but it’s just not translating into quality. The wave comment keeps saying “poor surf conditions” or “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.”

Now, the one glimmer in the whole run shows up on Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th. On the morning of Friday the 14th, we’ve got a 2 ft swell from the SSW, period of 18 seconds, and the combined energy hits 393. That’s the most promising-looking number. But the wind is onshore (WSW), so it’s clean-ish but not glassy. On Saturday the 15th, the swell builds to 3 ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, and energy peaks at 481 and 504. That’s the biggest energy of the whole period. But again, the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. The wave comment just says “marginal” on the mornings, and “poor” on the afternoons.

So if you’re desperate, the standouts are those two days: Friday 14th and Saturday 15th. But honestly, even then, we’re talking small, long-period groundswell on a reef that wants WNW swell, with a cross-on breeze. The water will be warm, the energy will be there in the water, but the quality is not gonna blow your mind.

This isn’t an area that goes completely flat often, but this stretch is a dud. Forecasts can change, but as it sits, don’t hold your breath.

Rusty

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