Long Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The forecast window really starts to fire up around Wednesday, August 19th, with a solid run of southwest groundswell and some good wind windows. The standout period is shaping up to be Friday, August 28th, with a couple of other excellent days in the mix. There’s a bit of a rough patch early on, and later in the month, some very strong energy pushes through, but it’s paired with tricky winds.

Right now, the water is sitting at 57° which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so expect a bit of extra chill slipping into the lineup at Long Beach.

The early part of the week, starting Sunday August 16th, is pretty average. Sunday morning has 7 ft of WSW swell but the wind is onshore from the NNW at 12 mph, and the wave comment says it’s poor with a combined energy of 1774. Sunday afternoon goes up to 8 ft, but still cross-onshore and choppy. Monday isn’t much better – 10 ft in the morning but onshore and messy, energy at 2715. The afternoon improves a little with a light breeze but still cross-onshore. Tuesday sees a shift to cross-offshore winds from the SE, which cleans things up, but the waves are still only marginal. 7 ft in the morning, 10 ft in the afternoon with moderate energy pushing 2984.

Then, Wednesday August 19th is where we start to get some clean action. Morning brings offshore winds from the S at 12 mph, 8 ft of SW swell at 12 seconds, and a combined energy of 1866. The afternoon is even better – gentle offshore from the S at 9 mph, 8 ft, clean waves, and the comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s a solid session.

But the real highlight is Friday August 28th. The afternoon session is absolutely firing – 12 ft of SW swell with a 15-second period, combined energy of 6868, offshore winds from the S at 9 mph, and the comment says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is the best on offer. The morning of the 28th is also excellent with 8 ft and clean cross-offshore winds, but the afternoon is the standout. That swell is big and powerful, so this is for experienced surfers only.

The run-up to that is also good. Monday August 24th morning has 7 ft of SSW swell at 14 seconds, light winds from the SE, and excellent conditions for experienced surfers. Wednesday August 26th is another cracker – morning has 10 ft of SW swell, 15-second period, combined energy of 3795, and light cross-offshore winds, excellent for experienced surfers. The afternoon is clean too, with 8 ft.

There’s a bit of a lull in between. Saturday August 22nd and Sunday August 23rd are mostly poor to marginal. The 22nd has cross-onshore winds and poor surf, and the 23rd is clean but with strong winds and only marginal conditions.

The very end of the month, August 30th and 31st, sees a big pulse of energy – 13 ft on the 30th afternoon with 7629 combined energy, but it’s wind-affected, and the 31st has 12 ft with clean conditions but still marginal. The 30th morning is a write-off with strong onshore winds and messy surf.

So, bottom line: if you’re an experienced surfer, Friday August 28th afternoon is the one to circle. Wednesday the 19th and the 26th are also excellent clean sessions. The rest of the window is either marginal or too big and messy for the casual paddle.

Rusty.

Read more