Long Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for our little patch. We've got a run of surf that starts quiet, builds to a serious late-summer pulse, then gets a bit wild. It's a mixed bag, so listen up.

We start off on Wednesday the 26th of August with a bit of a tease. There's a 4ft to 4ft WSW swell rolling in, with a decent 13-second period, giving us a solid 1622 combined energy. The water's sitting at 59°, which is a touch cooler than average for this time of year, but nothing drastic. The issue early on is that cross-offshore wind keeps it a little bumpy, not quite glassy. It's surfable for the intermediate crew, but not the day's highlight.

Thursday the 27th is a write-off, to be honest. The wind swings around, the swell gets a bit bigger at 5ft to 5ft but from the S, and it's all cross-on and choppy. The energy drops to 910. Don't bother paddling out.

Now, Friday the 28th is where it gets interesting. The swell drops back to 4ft from the S, but the key is the wind. Early morning we get a glassy spell with that 4ft S swell (642 energy). That's a quiet, clean window. But the real standout is Friday afternoon. The wind turns offshore, the swell jumps to 4ft from the WSW with a 14-second period, and the energy climbs to 945. That's a clean, lined-up afternoon session for the intermediates.

Saturday the 29th sees the swell building. The morning is a bit messy with cross-shore wind messing up the 5ft WSW swell. But the afternoon is the big call: a 7ft WSW swell with a 14-second period, and clean offshore wind. The combined energy is a strong 1864. This is the best on offer for the first week. It's a solid, powerful wave for experienced surfers, and the conditions will be pristine.

Sunday the 30th is a bit of a let-down after that. The swell is still a solid 8ft WSW in the morning, but a strong cross-offshore wind makes it choppy and hard to read. The afternoon drops to 7ft but the wind is still strong and cross-off. It's a pass.

Monday the 31st is a nice, clean return to form. A 6ft WSW swell with a 12-second period and offshore wind both morning and afternoon. Energy is 826. It's a good, solid day for the intermediate to advanced crew.

Now, here's where it gets serious. Tuesday the 1st of September brings a massive jump. The swell hits 12ft in the morning and 15ft in the afternoon from the SW, with that long 14-second period. The combined energy is huge: 4340 in the morning, peaking at 8163 in the afternoon. The wind is cross-off, but this is big, powerful surf. It's for experts only. This is a serious, consequential swell, and the break quality will be intense. Wednesday the 2nd keeps that energy going with 12ft to 10ft SW/WSW swell and clean conditions. The energy is still very high (3970/3043). This is a proper, multi-day groundswell event.

The end of the first week and start of the second gets messy. Thursday the 3rd gets torn apart by a near-gale, and Friday the 4th is a complete write-off with onshore gales. Then things get out of hand. On the 5th of September, we see a 23ft S swell, but it's completely blown out by strong onshore winds. The energy is massive (15461), but it's a washing machine. Saturday afternoon the same. The setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Sunday the 6th is still huge (13ft) and onshore, no good.

The last few days calm down. Monday the 7th of September has a 8ft SSE swell in the morning, but the wind is onshore. The afternoon is better, with a 6ft SE swell and cross-offshore wind, giving us 968 energy. It's a clean, smaller wave to finish on. After that, the 8th, 9th, and 10th of September are all small, choppy, and generally poor, with wind and weak swell.

So, the standout of the whole run is without a doubt Saturday the 29th of August afternoon: a clean, offshore 7ft WSW swell with a 14-second period. That's a perfect session. The second standout is the big pulse on Tuesday the 1st of September, but that's only for the brave and experienced. For the rest of us, the Friday the 28th afternoon and Monday the 31st are the best bets.

Rusty out.

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