Linda Mar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this straight, folks. I’m looking at the next couple of weeks here, and honestly, it’s a bit of a rough stretch for us. The ocean’s gonna be busy, but mostly in a messy, blown-out kind of way. Don’t get your hopes up for any kind of classic day in the immediate future. We’ve got a solid run of onshore and cross-onshore winds that are going to keep things choppy and jumbled.

We start off on Friday, August 14th, with some small, weak swell and those cross-on winds. It’s not looking like it’s worth paddling out for. The energy is weak, down around 300, with a small, clean-looking 2ft swell from the southwest, but that wind is going to make it a mess.

The weekend isn't bringing much relief. Saturday, August 15th, the swell drops off even more, and the energy is barely there at 64. We’re talking about ankle-snappers at best, with criss-cross ripples from the wind. Sunday the 16th is a bit bigger, pushing 3ft, but it's still mostly that junky, wind-blown stuff. The energy does pick up into the low 400s by Sunday afternoon, but the quality just isn't there.

The start of the new week, Monday the 17th, is more of the same. The swell stays around 3ft, and while the energy is moderate, the wind keeps it poor.

Then we get into the guts of next week, from Tuesday the 18th through Friday the 21st. This is where the size shows up, but it’s not friendly. We’re seeing a pulse of northwest windswell. Swell heights get up to 6ft on Friday the 21st, but the period is short, only around 6-8 seconds. That’s a recipe for close-outs and bumpy, onshore slop. The combined energy is moderate to strong, climbing to around 500 on Wednesday morning and staying in the 300-500 range, but it’s all for nothing with this wind. On top of that, with the swell over 5ft, it’s already pushing past what you’d want for the beginners out there. Then it’s over 8ft by Monday the 24th, which is expert-only territory, but I can't even see it being any good for them with these conditions.

There’s a brief moment on Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd where the wind eases off a touch in the mornings, but it’s still cross-on and the swell is a jumbled mix of short-period energy. It’s still not good.

The following week, we see the swell stay up, but the wind continues to ruin it. We’re looking at 7.5ft on Monday, August 24th with strong, moderate energy at over 800. This is the biggest swell of the window, but with the strong cross-onshore winds, it’s going to be a complete mess. Honestly, with that size and that wind, this looks like it might be more interesting for the kite surfers than anyone with a paddle.

The surf quality remains poor right through to the end of the forecast period on Saturday, August 29th. The swell drops back down to around 3ft, but there’s still a persistent cross-onshore breeze. There are some longer-period swells showing up in the 15-16 second range on the 28th and 29th, which is good to see, but the wave energy is still being generated by these swells and the wind is just going to keep it messy.

So, to be straight with you, there are no standout days here. None. It’s a blank run. The one thing to keep an eye on is that Saturday, August 29th morning, when we have that 3ft southwest swell with a 16-second period and lighter winds. It might be the least bad option, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. We just have to wait this one out.

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