Newport Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you—this stretch is tough. I’ve been staring at the charts for Newport Beach and it’s a real bummer of a forecast. The water is running much warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 72°F, which is a couple of degrees above average, so you’ll feel that if you get in.

The whole 16-day window is pretty much a write-off. There’s no real surf to get excited about. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1 ft to 3 ft, and it’s coming from the SSW or SW, which is the right direction for this sheltered river break, but the energy is just weak. The combined energy barely cracks 500 at its best, and most days it’s sitting in the low 100s to low 400s. That’s weak to moderate at best, and honestly, it’s not enough to push any decent waves.

The wind is a constant problem too. It’s almost always onshore or cross-onshore, with speeds from 6 mph to 12 mph. Even the lightest days are cross-onshore, so the surface is going to be bumpy and choppy. There’s no glassy, clean morning in sight. The forecast keeps saying “poor surf conditions” for every single slot, and I can’t argue with that.

There is a very brief window around Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th where the swell bumps up to 2 ft–3 ft and the combined energy gets into the 400–500 range, but the wind is still cross-onshore and the surf is still rated poor. It’s not worth paddling out for. Even the morning of Saturday the 15th is called “marginal,” which is the best it gets, and that’s not saying much.

If you’re a beginner, this swell is too small to learn on, and for anyone else, there’s just no push. With the constant onshore wind and tiny waves, this setup actually looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. I’d say save your wax and wait for a better run. Forecasts can change, but right now, this is a long, blank stretch.

Rusty.

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