Laguna Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for our local stretch of coast.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you—this 16-day window looks like a real patience tester. There’s a big gap of flat, poor conditions hanging over us to start. We’re looking at roughly a week of nothing worth paddling out for, from Thursday the 16th through to the end of the week. The swell is tiny, under 1ft to 2ft, and the wind is either cross or cross-on, which just messes with what little bump there is. The water is a touch warmer than average at 69°, but that’s not enough to get excited about when the waves are a total write-off.

The first sign of life, and I mean barely a sign, shows up on Sunday the 19th. We’ve got a 3ft swell from the SSW with a period of 17 seconds, so there’s some long-period energy in the water (combined energy of 421). But it’s still marginal—light cross-onshore wind isn’t doing it any favours. That afternoon, things get a bit bigger, pushing 5ft from the SSW, but it’s onshore and the quality is sketchy. Too big for beginners, and the wind is a problem.

The standout in this outlook, if you can call it that, is Laguna Beach (reef). It’s a fairly consistent spot, but it’s going to be a waiting game. The best chance for a decent session looks like Monday the 20th morning. You’ve got a 5ft SSW swell riding a 13-second period, with light cross-onshore breeze. The combined energy is moderate at 696, and while it’s still marginal, this is the closest we get to a clean-ish wave. It’s a reef setup, so that long-period groundswell will hold up better here than on a beach break, but it’s still a bit of a gamble. The rest of that week stays small and messy, with wind switching from cross-on to onshore, keeping the quality down.

The second week gets a little more interesting, but it’s still not firing. By Saturday the 25th, we see a bump in confidence with a 4ft SSW swell and a 21-second period on the morning, but the wind is light cross-on. The combined energy jumps to 1064, which is strong, but the period is so long it might just wall up and close out. Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th both have 3ft to 4ft SSW swells with 18-19 second periods, and light winds. The energy stays in the 900-1000 range, which is solid, but the wind is still cross-on or onshore. For a reef, these long-period swells can actually be a bonus, offering better shape and more power, but the lack of clean offshore wind is the killer.

Tuesday the 28th is probably the best of the second week. You’ve got a 4ft SSW swell, 17-second period, and light cross-on wind. The combined energy is 915. It’s still not perfect, but it’s the most consistent window we’ve seen. The crowds are listed as “often” here, so expect company, but it’s a reef break that handles the long-period energy well. No real standout epic session, but if you’re desperate, that’s your window.

The outlook fades out after that, with the last few days dropping back to small, onshore junk. It’s a tough run, but the reef at Laguna Beach offers the best chance to snag something rideable, especially if you’re patient and pick your tides. The water’s a bit warmer than normal, but the waves are the main story—and it’s a slow one.

Rusty.

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