Newport Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, it’s Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you — this is a tough one to call. The forecast for the next 16 days is a bit of a dry spell for decent waves. The long-range outlook is a real bummer, with no proper standouts in sight. Let’s break it down.

We start off on Tuesday the 28th of July, and it’s already looking grim. The swell is there, don’t get me wrong — about 4ft from the SSW with a long 17-second period, giving a moderate energy of 796 (moderate wave energy). But the wind is a cross-onshore breeze at 6 mph, and the wave comment says it all: poor surf conditions. The water temperature is sitting at 72°, which is a whopping 6° warmer than usual for this time of year — that’s very unusual. But that warmth doesn’t help the waves one bit. The surf is just messy and small, with light cross-onshore ripples. This is a sheltered river break, so it’s not going to hold much from that SSW direction anyway.

Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th are more of the same. Swell bumps up briefly to 4ft Thursday afternoon from the S, but again, onshore wind and poor quality. The combined energy hits 937 (moderate) on Wednesday afternoon, but with that onshore wind, it’s just a choppy mess. This is a beginner-friendly spot, but even beginners won’t be stoked. The first few days are a write-off.

Friday the 31st of July through to Monday the 3rd of August, the swell drops off fast. We’re looking at waist-high or smaller waves, with the odd pulse of 4ft on Saturday morning from the SSW, but the wind is still onshore or cross-onshore. The wave energy plummets — down to 126 (weak energy) by Sunday morning. There’s nothing here worth paddling out for. The period drops to 9 seconds on Sunday, so it’s a weak, short-period windswell. The consistent theme is “poor surf conditions” or “marginal” at best. The break is fairly consistent, but that doesn’t help when the quality is trash.

After the 3rd of August, we hit a proper lull. From Tuesday the 4th of August right through to the end of the forecast on Wednesday the 12th of August, the swell is tiny — mostly 1ft to 3ft. The period is all over the place, from 13 seconds to 19 seconds, but with such small height, it’s barely breaking. The combined energy stays weak, mostly in the double digits or low triple digits (e.g., 97 to 373). The wind is mostly light and onshore or cross-onshore, so the surface is never clean. There’s a small spike in energy on the 12th of August with 2ft from the SW at 17 seconds (373 energy), but the wind is a gentle cross-onshore, so it’s still choppy. The wave comment is always “poor surf conditions.” There’s zero standouts in this whole window.

Honestly, this is a blank run for Newport Beach. The river mouth is sheltered, and the swell direction (SSW) isn’t getting any energy focused in here. The wind is nearly always onshore or cross-onshore, so the surface is never glassy. For a beginner-friendly spot, it’s just not working. There’s no point even highlighting a single day — the best on offer is a marginal, maybe rideable wave on Thursday the 30th of July morning, but with onshore wind, it’s a struggle. The whole 16-day period is a bust. If you’re desperate, keep an eye on the forecasts, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Rusty, signing off.

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