Laguna Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Laguna Beach over the next couple of weeks. I've got to be straight with you – this is a tricky stretch. The forecast is showing a whole lot of days where the surf just isn't going to cooperate, with a lot of marginal and poor conditions flagged. We're looking at a long, quiet run to start, so don't get your hopes up for a quick fix.

The first real chance of anything worthwhile doesn't show up until the 29th of August, and even then it's nothing to write home about. The whole period is plagued by small, weak swells. The wave energy is all over the shop, but it's rarely packing a punch. You'll see values like 158 (weak) early on, and while they climb to a moderate 699 by the afternoon of the 29th, the overall quality just isn't there.

We're stuck in a pattern of light breezes, but the wind direction is often onshore or cross-onshore, which messes with the shape. The water temp is sitting at a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, around 70°, which is nice for a session, but there's no surf to enjoy it in.

Now, about that break. Laguna Beach is a reef setup and it's fairly consistent, but it really needs the right swell from the WNW to fire. The problem is, the forecast is giving us a steady diet of small SW to SSW swells. The period on these swells is often long, like 15 to 20 seconds, which suggests better shaped waves and more energy, but with such tiny heights (1 ft to 4 ft), that energy just doesn't translate into ridable waves. A long period swell on a tiny height means long waits between barely-breaking lumps.

For the first week, from the 22nd of August right through to the 29th, you are looking at flat to tiny, poor quality waves. There are a few days that get a score of 1 out of 10 for "marginal" conditions, like the 24th and 28th, but honestly, that's being generous. The swell is under 2 ft, the wind is onshore, and the combined energy is low. It's a total write-off for a paddle surfer.

The best we've got across the whole 16 days lands on the 4th of September (Friday) morning. This is a real long-range call, so take it with a grain of salt. The swell bumps up to 4 ft from the SSW with a period of 18 seconds, which is proper groundswell. The combined energy hits 847 (moderate), which is the highest we see. The wind is a light cross-onshore from the SSW at 6 mph. It's not perfect glass, but it's workable. For Laguna Beach, a SSW swell isn't its absolute optimum (it wants WNW), but with this size and period, it could still offer up some fun, clean lines on the sets that come through. It's the closest thing to a standout we have.

The afternoon of the 4th is a similar story, with a 4 ft SSW swell and an onshore breeze. It's another marginal call but the best of the bunch. The weekend of the 5th and 6th of September drops back down to 3 ft to 4 ft swells with onshore wind, so that Friday morning is your window.

Overall, this is a grim outlook. A full week of nothing, followed by a couple of very average, long-range possibilities. It's the kind of forecast that makes you grateful for a longboard if you're desperate. For the first week, honestly, the setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer if the wind picks up.

Stay patient, check the forecasts, and maybe pick up a new hobby for a week.

Rusty.

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