Malibu Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you—this forecast is a tough one for us. We’ve got a 16-day window that starts now, but the first real surf worth paddling out for doesn't show up until July 5th, and even then, it's a grind. The whole period is dominated by a persistent, small SSW swell, but the wind and wave quality just aren't cooperating.

The first chance we get is on Sunday morning, July 5th. Malibu’s looking at a tiny 2ft SSW swell, but the problem is the wind is onshore. Still, the swell period is a very long 18 seconds, which is a proper groundswell, so there’s a bit of energy in the water (combined energy of 379). It’s a marginal call at best. The water is sitting at a very unusual 68°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—a proper anomaly at nearly 5 degrees warmer.

That small swell hangs around, but the wind stays messy. Monday July 6th sees similar 2ft SSW swell with a 16-second period, but the morning is onshore and the afternoon is a cross-shore. The combined energy bumps up a bit (425 and 434), but it’s all just a bit sloppy. The real standout, if you can call it that, is a brief window around Tuesday morning July 7th. We’ve got a 3ft SSW swell, still a very long 18-second period, and the combined energy is climbing into moderate territory (530). The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect, but it’s the cleanest it’s going to be. This is your best bet for the whole first week, and being Malibu, you can expect crowds, especially since it’s so consistent.

After that, things go downhill fast. From Wednesday July 8th all the way through to July 16th, the surf is a write-off. The swell drops to 1ft to 3ft, the wind is constantly onshore or cross-onshore, and the quality is labelled as poor or marginal. There’s a real gap of about 10 days with nothing worth chasing. The combined energy drops below 300 for most of it, making it weak.

Then, on July 17th, we get a flicker of life. Friday morning has a 1ft SW swell, but the period jumps back up to a very long 19 seconds, giving a combined energy of 240. It’s marginal and the wind is onshore, so it’s a long shot.

The weekend of July 18th and 19th looks slightly better. The swell picks up to 2ft SW, with a solid 17-18 second period. The combined energy is back in the moderate range (292 to 471). The wind is still a light cross-onshore, but it’s the best we’ve seen in over a week. Sunday July 19th afternoon looks the pick of the second week, with a cross-shore breeze and a combined energy of 471. It’s still small, but it’s a glimmer.

Overall, it’s a flat and frustrating period. The only time I’d be keen is Tuesday morning July 7th for the biggest, cleanest swell of the whole run. Otherwise, the board stays in the car.

Rusty.

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