Newport Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this 16-day run for our local stretch is a tough one for the paddle crew. The water’s a touch warmer than normal at 70°, but that’s about the only good news on the environmental front. We’ve got a persistent onshore or cross-onshore wind pattern that just won’t quit, and the surf quality is mostly listed as poor or marginal. The combined energy values are moderate, but the conditions are just not cooperating.

The first real hint of something happening isn’t until the morning of Thursday, July 23rd, at Newport Beach (river). Even then, it’s a marginal call with a 3ft swell from the South at 13 seconds. The winds are light and onshore, keeping things messy. That 3ft, 13-second swell from the S has a combined energy of 548 – moderate energy, but the tide and wind are working against us.

We then have a few days of the same story: small, onshore slop. The real tease comes on the morning of Friday, July 24th. We get a 2ft swell from the Southwest, but with a 24-second period. That’s a very long period groundswell, which usually means good shape, but 2ft is just tiny. The combined energy is 818 (moderate), but it’s just too small to get excited about with the light cross-onshore wind.

The pattern continues through the week. The only standout, and it’s a long-range one, is the morning of Friday, July 31st. The swell jumps to 5ft from the SSE, with a 14-second period, and the combined energy vaults to 1725 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is a light cross-onshore, which is still not perfect, but it’s the best we’ll see. This is a bigger swell, but at 5ft, it’s pushing into that intermediate zone. By the afternoon, it’s 7ft from the S, which is expert territory, especially with the 9 mph cross-onshore wind making it a bit of a washing machine. The value is there, but it’s not clean.

The following Saturday, August 1st, keeps a bit of size with 6ft in the morning from the S, but the wind is onshore, dropping the quality. The energy is still strong at 1181.

After that, it fades fast. By Sunday, August 2nd, we’re back to 4ft and the surf is poor again. The last two days of the run, Monday, August 3rd, are a ghost town with tiny 1ft swell.

If you’re desperate, aim for Friday, July 31st, but keep your expectations low on the quality. The setup is more interesting for the kite surfers than for us with the consistent cross-onshore winds and moderate swell. This is a long, quiet stretch for the area. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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