Manhattan Beach and Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let's cut through the noise and see what's actually going to be worth your time over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a long, quiet spell to get through first.

For the first ten days or so, the surf is pretty much flat. There’s just no energy in the water. On the bright side, the water at Manhattan Beach and Pier is a very warm 73°, which is *much warmer* than what’s normal for this time of year. Nice for a swim, but not for a surf.

There’s a tiny, almost not worth mentioning, bump on the morning of Monday the 14th of September. We’re talking about a 3ft swell from the west with a short, weak period of 7 seconds. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SSE at 6 mph, so it’ll be clean, but the wave energy is really low. It’s surfable in the sense you could float around.

The mornings of Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th of September are similar. Clean conditions with a light cross-off or cross-shore breeze, but the swell is tiny—1ft to 2ft—and lacking any real power. You’ll be waiting a long time between sets.

The first real standout doesn’t arrive until Monday the 21st of September. The morning session is the pick of the entire forecast. We’ll see a 2ft swell from the south-west, but the key is the period—a very long 17 seconds. That’s proper groundswell with a solid 336 in combined energy. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the SSE at 6 mph, so expect glassy, clean conditions. It’s a small, fun size for everyone, even beginners. Just keep in mind that with a long period like that, it can break a bit straight at a beach break, but with the offshore wind, it’ll still be good. The crowds are "often" here, so be ready for a few other heads in the water.

Tuesday the 22nd of September morning is also a solid call. A bit smaller at 2ft, but again with that clean cross-offshore breeze (from the SSE at 9 mph) and good energy (231). Another morning of clean, fun waves.

So, the bottom line is: there’s a big gap of nothing good. Don’t even bother checking the buoys until the morning of Monday the 21st. That’s your best chance for a proper session, with Tuesday morning as a solid backup. Everything else is a bust. The forecast can change, but right now, it's looking like a waiting game.

Rusty.

Read more