Laguna Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s look at what’s on offer around Laguna Beach for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, this forecast is a pretty tough read. Most of the next 16 days are a write-off for decent surf. The conditions are plagued by poor wind directions and marginal swell, so there’s no real standout session to get excited about. The best you can hope for is a few fleeting moments, but nothing consistent.

The first possibility pops up on Saturday morning, the 5th of September. We’ve got a 3ft SSW swell rolling in with a very long 16-second period (groundswell). The combined wave energy is moderate at 436. Winds are light and onshore at 3 mph, so it’s clean but not perfect. The water temperature is a very unusual 74°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. But that session is only marginal, with questionable tide conditions. The afternoon turns poor with a 9 mph cross-onshore breeze making it choppy.

Sunday the 6th is tiny and flat, with just 1ft of swell – not worth paddling out for.

Monday the 7th of September sees a bump in size to 5ft from the SSW, with a 13-second period and moderate-to-strong wave energy around 987. But it’s ruined by a 9 mph cross-onshore wind, so expect choppy, messy lines. This is beginner territory size-wise, but the wind ruins it.

The pattern continues through the week: swells between 2ft and 4ft, nearly always with cross-onshore winds from the west or northwest. The wind is always at least 6–9 mph, so the surf is bumpy and uninviting. The mornings on the 9th and 10th of September have light onshore wind and 2ft to 3ft SSW swell, but the tide conditions are questionable. Not really a goer.

From the 11th to the 20th of September, it’s a long stretch of poor surf. Swell heights are mostly under 3ft, periods are short to moderate, and the wind is either cross-shore or cross-onshore, often at 9–12 mph. The combined energy is weak to moderate (e.g., 92 to 532). There’s no standout session here. The only flicker of hope is on the 18th of September (Friday morning) with a 2ft SW swell, a 20-second very long period, and light onshore wind – but it’s still marginal. That’s a long-range, low-confidence call.

So, to sum it up: there’s no real highlight in this 16-day window. The best bet is likely the early morning of Saturday, 5th September, for a clean, small groundswell, but even then, it’s only marginal. For the rest of the period, you’re mostly looking at small, wind-affected surf. It’s a pretty blank run for Laguna Beach, but that’s not unusual for the area. If you’re desperate, keep an eye on the morning windows with light winds, but don’t get your hopes up.

Rusty.

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