Long Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the Long Beach stretch.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough run. We’re looking at a long, drawn-out period of poor conditions. The wind is a constant problem, mostly coming out of the east and smacking the waves straight onshore or cross-onshore, leaving the surface lumpy and choppy. It’s a real grind. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there, but it’s not gonna make up for the messy lineup.

The first real session that even gets a sniff of a chance doesn’t show up until Sunday the 30th of August. The morning is still a mess with a moderate cross-onshore breeze and a 4 ft swell from the east at a long 13 seconds. The energy is moderate (595). But the afternoon is where things get interesting. The wind swings around to a clean onshore from the southeast, and the swell pushes up to 7 ft from the east-northeast with a 12-second period. The combined energy jumps to strong (1206). It’s only rated as marginal with questionable tide, but it’s the best window we’ve got. This is a standout, but it’s for the more experienced crew – 7 ft is a bit of a handful for beginners. That long period means it’ll have some punch, but at a beach break like Long Beach, it can run a bit straight.

After that Sunday afternoon, it’s back into the grinder. Monday the 31st has a clean onshore wind but the swell drops back to 5 ft and the energy goes with it. Then from Tuesday the 1st of September right through to the end of the forecast on the 10th, we’re stuck with that same old story: east winds, cross-onshore, and lumpy, choppy surf. The swell height does bounce around a bit – there’s a 6 ft on the 4th, a 7 ft on the 5th, and another 7 ft on the 7th – but the wind just ruins it every time. The energy is moderate to strong, but it doesn’t matter when the surface is a mess.

If you’re a kite surfer, this setup might actually look pretty fun with all that cross-onshore wind and solid chop. But for us paddle surfers, it’s a long wait. The only real light in the tunnel is that Sunday afternoon window. Keep an eye on the tides, because if it lines up, that 7 ft groundswell with clean wind could throw a few.

Rusty.

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