Long Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking.

Honestly, mate, the next couple of weeks look pretty average overall. There’s surf, sure, but for most of the run it’s messy or blown out. The real standout window comes right at the very end of the forecast – September 6th is where we finally get some proper clean fun. Up until then, it’s mostly a battle with wind or inconsistent, marginal conditions.

Starting off now, Monday the 24th into Tuesday the 25th, we’ve got some knee-to-waist high swell pushing in from the SSW at around 5 feet, but the wind is a cross-off from the SSE at 15 mph, keeping it a bit side-shore. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great either – feels like you’re fighting for scraps. The water temp is 58°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. Tuesday bumps up to 8 feet from the SW with a 14-second period, but that wind picks up to 22 mph from the SE, so it’s cross-off clean but pretty blown-out feeling. The combined energy is reading moderate-to-strong (2549), but the quality just isn’t there.

Wednesday the 26th stays in the 5 to 7-foot range with a mix of WSW and SE swell directions. The morning is cleaner with a moderate breeze, but the afternoon sees shorter period (8 seconds) making it a bit lumpy and weak. Nothing to get excited about.

Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are poor – onshore winds shifting from NNW to SE, and the wave heights drop to around 3 to 4 feet with moderate energy. Not worth paddling out for. Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th have some size (8 feet on Sunday) but the wind is rubbish – onshore and cross-onshore strong enough to chop everything up. For a beach-and-sandbar setup like Long Beach, this is looking more like a kite-surf day than a paddle session.

Monday the 31st of August finally shows a glimmer. Offshore winds from the S in the morning shift SSE in the afternoon, with clean conditions and swell around 7 feet (morning) and 5 feet (afternoon). The combined energy drops to moderate (976), but the wind is gentle and offshore – that’s what we want. This is the first proper clean window, but it’s not big. Then we hit a big swell early September.

From September 1st, the swell cranks up – 12 to 16 feet from the SW to SSE – but the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore and strong (up to 28 mph). The energy numbers are massive (over 5000), but this is big, lumpy, and messy. September 2nd has strong offshore wind in the afternoon with 12 feet from WSW, and though it’s clean, it’s going to be hard work paddling into. For experienced surfers only. Wednesday the 3rd and Thursday the 4th stay huge – 13 to 16 feet from the SE with cross-off winds, clean but still massive. The combined energy is very strong (over 5000). This is big wave territory and not for the faint-hearted.

Now, the true standout arrives on Saturday, September 6th (yes, that’s over a week away). Saturday morning we’ve got 8 feet from the S, with a gentle cross-off breeze from the ESE at only 9 mph – clean, mellow, and the report says “expect very good surf conditions”. The combined energy is moderate-to-strong (1970). Sunday the 6th afternoon keeps that 8 feet from the S with a light breeze (6 mph) and clean conditions. This is the window. The swell direction (S) is a bit off the optimum SW for Long Beach, but the wind is light and the quality is there. Paddle out early Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon – that’s the pick of the whole run.

After that, Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th drop back to small (4 to 5 feet) with longer period SW swell (15-16 seconds), but light cross-on winds and low energy keep it marginal. Not worth the drive.

So if you’re holding out for something good, aim clean and steady on Monday, August 31st, or if you’ve got a bigger board and patience, September 6th is the best on offer. Everything else is either too windy, too big and messy, or just flat.

– Rusty

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