Long Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right off the bat, we've got a bit of a slow starter, but this 16-day window has some serious firepower lined up. The first couple of days are just going to be small and a little on the messy side, so you might want to wax the longboard or just wait it out. Then things are going to ramp up in a big way, and there's a couple of windows that are going to be genuinely special. The water's sitting at 57.9°F, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so a good hood is probably a smart call.

We'll kick things off at Long Beach (a sandbar setup) on Saturday the 1st. It's not going to be much to write home about, with surf around 4.3ft from the WSW on a 14-second swell, but the energy is moderate (708). The morning is looking a little cross-onshore, so it'll be a bit lumpy. The afternoon cleans up a touch with a light offshore breeze, but honestly, it's still just small and a bit average. Sunday the 2nd is even less inspiring, with a bumpy morning and a cross-onshore afternoon. It's a good weekend to get other things done.

The first real sign of life comes Monday the 3rd. The morning is looking glassy with an offshore breeze, and we've got 4.3ft of WSW swell at 14 seconds. It’s not big, but clean. The energy is building (1071), and it's a great chance for a fun, clean session on the longboard. Tuesday the 4th holds similar size and clean conditions with light offshore winds again, though the period drops slightly to 11 seconds. Still, a very serviceable, fun little wave.

Just be warned, this calm window is the calm before the storm. Wednesday the 5th is a write-off. The wind swings onshore, blowing hard at 22 mph, and the swell jumps to 8.2ft, then 11.5ft in the afternoon. The energy is now strong (5057), but the wind is just wrecking it. Long Beach is going to be a washing machine.

The pay-off starts on Thursday the 6th. The swell is still a solid 11.5ft from the SW, but the wind goes offshore and light. The energy is strong (4465). This is proper, powerful surf, and the conditions are clean. This is only for experienced surfers though; it's well over the 8.2ft mark. Friday the 7th keeps that energy alive with 9.8ft of SW swell, and the afternoon cleans up with a cross-offshore breeze (3094). That Friday afternoon session is looking like a standout – big, clean lines and the sandbar should be handling it well.

Then, we hit the biggest pulse of the whole window on Saturday the 8th. The swell explodes to a massive 16.4ft from the SW, with a very long 15-second period. The energy readings are off the charts (10553). But here’s the catch, the wind is howling onshore, blowing hard from the NNW, and it’s going to be lumpy, chaotic, and borderline dangerous. Unless you’re a big-wave tow-in surfer with a death wish, this is a day for the beach, not the lineup. The kitesurfers might be having a field day in this, but for us, it’s a hard pass.

The surf stays solid and unruly through Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th. We're looking at 9.8-11.5ft of SW swell with very strong winds, albeit offshore at times. You'll have the clean, strong offshore conditions on the Sunday, but the wind is so strong (22-25 mph) it will be hard to get into the waves. It's a grindy, punishing stretch. The energy is still strong (5627 and 3025 respectively), but only for the advanced and the desperate.

The second big standout comes in and it looks like the best of the whole run. Monday the 11th starts with a glassy morning on a lully 3ft of south swell, but it’s packing a very long 23-second period. That morning is a classic, clean longboard wave. But it's the afternoon where things get properly exciting. The swell jumps to 7.2ft from the SW, with a long 19-second period, and the wind is a light cross-off. The energy is huge (4327). This is a proper groundswell hitting a sandbar, and it has the potential to be an absolutely epic session. Tuesday the 12th keeps the magic running with 8.2ft of clean, glassy SW swell (3473) in the morning and light winds in the afternoon. This is the pick of the days – a true gem.

After that, things start to wind down. Wednesday the 13th is still in the 6.6-7.2ft range, but the wind is up again, making it more of a battle. From Thursday the 14th onwards, the size drops back down to the 3.9-5.6ft range, but the wind is mostly onshore and cross-onshore, leaving it messy and uninviting. The energy drops back down to 877 and below. After that epic Tuesday, there just isn't much to shout about for the rest of the window.

So

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