Long Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. I’ve had a good look at the charts for Long Beach over the next couple of weeks, and I won’t lie to you, it’s a frustrating run. The swell is there, but the wind is just wrecking it day after day. We’re looking at a long stretch of cross-onshore breeze that’s going to keep things choppy and lumpy, with only a brief window of hope right at the end of the first week.

The very first chance for a paddle is Tuesday morning, the 11th of August, but it’s barely worth a mention. We’ve got a tiny 1 ft from the ESE at a short 8 seconds, with a weak 59 (units) of combined energy. The east wind at 16 mph is cross-onshore, making it messy. It stays like that all week. By Wednesday, we see a bit more size, 4 ft, but the wind ramps up to 19 mph, and the period is a paltry 6 seconds – that’s windswell junk. Thursday through Saturday brings bigger swell, hitting 8 ft on Friday morning, and the combined energy climbs into the strong range (709), but it’s all under a strong cross-onshore breeze making it a washing machine. For reference, that 8 ft is pushing into expert-only territory, but with the onshore wind, it’s just a wall of whitewater.

Then, on Sunday the 16th of August, we finally get a flicker of hope. The morning is still cross-shore and messy with a 5 ft, 12-second groundswell from the ENE (energy of 854). But the afternoon session is the standout of the whole outlook. The wind swings light offshore from the NE at 9 mph, cleaning things right up. That 7 ft swell with a 12-second period has some proper grunt, with a strong 1289 (units) of energy behind it. This is the one to aim for. It will be bigger, cleaner, and more powerful than anything else on offer. It is only rated as marginal due to tides, but for a surfer, this is the only window where you’ll get a decent, makeable wave at Long Beach. It’s an exposed spot, so it’ll pick up that east energy, but that long period will also mean longer waits between sets.

After that Sunday high, it drops off again. Monday the 17th has onshore wind from the SE ruining the 4 ft swell, and then from Tuesday the 18th right through to the 26th, we’re back to consistent cross-onshore wind and a mix of weak to moderate east and ESE swell. Size fluctuates between 3 ft and 7 ft, but the wind never gives us a break. The energy stays moderate, peaking around 565 (units) on the 25th, but it’s all lumpy and uninviting.

So, bottom line: this forecast has a massive hole in the middle. From the 11th right through to the 16th, it’s all blown out. The single standout is Sunday afternoon, the 16th of August. Get there if you can, because that clean, 7 ft groundswell is your one shot. The rest of the month looks like a write-off unless the wind forecast changes dramatically. Keep your ear to the ground, because it can’t stay poor forever.

Rusty.

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