Long Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Oi, what’s the surf lookin’ like? Rusty here, and for our local spot, Long Beach (a sheltered sandbar setup), it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s some real magic hiding in there if you’re patient.

Right now, we’re in a bit of a flat spell to start. The first real action worth paddling out for doesn’t kick off until Monday the 24th. The morning is showing a clean 6ft swell from the WSW, with a period of 11 seconds. The winds are a cross-off, so the face will be tidy, but the catch here is the wave energy is moderate (950). It’s not going to be a world-beater. And the water is sitting at 58°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year (a -2°F anomaly), so you’ll want that steamer.

Tuesday the 25th sees a jump in size. The morning has a solid 8ft SW swell, with a long 14-second period. Wave energy is ramping up into the moderately strong range (2549). But the wind is a fresh cross-off from the SE at 22 mph, so while it’ll be clean, it’s a bit of a battle paddle out. This is getting into the "not for beginners" territory with that size.

Wednesday the 26th drops back down a bit, with a 5ft WSW swell in the morning (13-second period, 1613 energy). Still clean with that cross-off. The afternoon has a weird shift to a 7ft SE swell with a short 8-second period—that windswell energy is still moderate-strong (1577), but the short period tends to make things a bit bouncy and less powerful.

Thursday the 27th is a write-off. Cloudy, onshore and cross-onshore winds, and poor conditions. Just leave the board in the car.

The first real standout comes on Monday the 31st. After a fairly average run, Monday morning looks prime. You’ve got an 8ft WSW groundswell with a 12-second period. The wind is a glassy offshore from the SSE (3 mph). The wave energy is strong (1966). This is the one you set your alarm for. The conditions read “expect very good surf conditions” and it’s about as clean as you can ask for. The afternoon holds up well too, with clean 8ft waves.

Then things get wild. We have a massive spike on Wednesday the 2nd of September. The morning shows a 20ft WSW swell with a 13-second period, but it’s accompanied by a near-gale W wind at 37 mph. The combined energy is extreme (12837). This isn’t a paddle surf day unless you are an absolute charger; for the rest of us, it’s a “look at the ocean from the car park” day. The afternoon is even bigger with 21ft.

The true standout session for the experts is Thursday the 3rd of September. The morning reveals a 16ft SSW groundswell with a very long 16-second period. The wind drops totally to a gentle cross-off breeze from the SW at 9 mph. The wave energy is extreme (17108). This has "best on offer" written all over it. The period is so long it will wrap and draw into the sandbar beautifully, with huge, powerful lines. The calm winds will have the place looking like glass. This is heavy, heavy surf—for experts only, but for them, it will be a session to remember. The afternoon drops to a 13ft SSW swell (15s, 10649) but gets a bit of a cross-chop.

Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th get messy with onshore winds and heavy choppy conditions. Sunday the 6th and beyond drop off in size and get hammered by strong to near-gale winds, making it a no-go for proper surfing. The last week of the forecast window is a bit of a bust for quality.

So, if you’re an average surfer, your window is Monday the 31st. If you’re a serious expert looking for a pulse-pounding session, clear your calendar for Thursday the 3rd of September. The rest of the run has some activity, but those are the two true standouts.

Rusty.

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