Manhattan Beach and Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for our local stretch.

Right off the bat, the next week and a half is a bit of a grind. The swell is tiny and the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, keeping things pretty messy. There’s nothing really worth paddling out for in the first few days. The water is running at 70°F – that’s a good four and a half degrees warmer than usual for this time of year, so it feels like a bath out there, but the waves are just not there to go with it.

We’ll see a small bump in energy through the middle of next week, but it’s still marginal. The swell stays under 3ft, with periods going from 12 all the way up to 19 seconds, but the wind just won’t cooperate. The combined energy (308) on Friday the 28th morning is a little more interesting, but it’s still a light cross-onshore breeze, so it’s not going to be clean.

The first real standout comes on Sunday, the 30th of August. The afternoon session looks promising – a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSE is going to clean things right up. The swell is 3ft from the SSW, with a 15 second period, and combined energy (320). That’s a long period groundswell, so it’ll be a bit more lined up and punchy, with longer lulls between sets. This is a good call for a Sunday afternoon cruise.

Then, the absolute gem of the whole forecast is the morning of Sunday, the 6th of September. This is the one to circle on the calendar. Glassy conditions, zero wind, with a 3ft SSW swell and a 15 second period. With combined energy (360), this is the best quality we’ll see. That glassy, calm morning is going to be silky smooth. It’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it, but as of now, that’s the pick of the lot.

The Monday morning after that, the 7th of September, also looks decent with a light cross-offshore breeze, keeping things clean on a 2ft SSW swell.

Crowds are listed as ‘often’ at Manhattan Beach Pier, so on those cleaner days, expect plenty of company in the water. It’s a consistent, exposed beach break, so it’s beginner-friendly when the swell is small, but the long period swells can make it a bit more walled up and tricky for the newer crew.

So, bottom line: a lot of average days ahead, but Sunday the 30th afternoon and especially that glassy morning on Sunday the 6th of September are the ones to chase.

Rusty.

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