Latigo Canyon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty checkin' in from the coast. Let's get into it.

Alright, folks, I'm not gonna lie to you – this upcoming stretch at Latigo Canyon is a bit of a head-scratcher. We're looking at a solid 16-day window, but the first week and a half is pretty much a write-off for any decent paddle surfing. The models are showing a long, drawn-out period of weak, small swells. The combined swell energy is stuck in the low double to triple digits for days – we're talking values like 75, 96, 109 – that's just not enough push to get anything worthwhile breaking. The wind is mostly light, but it's coming from the wrong direction, which is a cross-on or onshore, keeping the surface messy. It's one of those stretches where you're better off doing a dawn patrol beach clean-up or just taking the dog for a walk.

Now, I gotta mention the water. It's not showing any major anomaly, so it's probably about what you'd expect for this time of year. The real story is the lack of energy.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn't show up until the morning of the 7th of August. We finally see a spike in the combined swell energy, hitting 317. That's a meaningful jump. We're looking at a 2 ft swell, but the period is a very long 19 seconds – that's a proper groundswell. The wind is offshore, light from the SSE, which is a major positive. It'll be glassy and clean. The fact that it's a long-period swell on a point like Latigo Canyon is a beautiful thing – it'll wrap in nicely with good shape and long, peeling lines. The downside is the consistency and the very modest size. It's a sneaky good morning for the experienced surfer who knows how to read a long-period swell on a point. The crowd situation is a "sometimes" risk, so you might have a few others on it, but for a clean, small-wave point break, it's about as good as it gets in this forecast.

The following week has a few more days with similar potential, like the 15th of August morning, where the energy jumps to 381 with a 3 ft, 17-second swell from the SSW. Again, the wind is light and onshore, which is a bit of a bummer, but the energy is there. It's a long-range call, so it's promising but not set in stone. Don't go booking the week off work just yet.

For the best of the best, I'm pointing the finger at the Saturday morning of the 7th of August. The combination of that long-period groundswell, glassy offshore wind, and the point break setup at Latigo Canyon is a true standout. The rest of the window is mostly just waiting for that one window.

Rusty.

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