Newport Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming our way over the next couple of weeks for our local stretch.

To be straight with you, it’s a pretty quiet outlook. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, messy, and mostly onshore conditions. There’s nothing that screams "go time," but a couple of windows might give you something to paddle for if you’re desperate.

For the first several days, starting Monday the 24th through the end of August, it’s pretty flat and sad. Swell is tiny, mostly around 2 ft to 2 ft from the SW, but the wind is a problem—cross-onshore or onshore, making everything choppy and blown-out. The water temperature is sitting at 73°, which is a massive 6° warmer than usual for this time of year. That is very unusual, so don’t expect that autumn chill just yet, the ocean is holding onto summer heat hard. The combined wave energy on the 24th is a weak 267, and it doesn't get much better for a while.

Things change a little on Saturday the 29th. The morning shows a bit of life with a 3 ft SSW swell, period stretching out to 17 seconds. That’s a proper long-period groundswell, which brings better shape but longer waits between sets. Combined energy hits 554 (moderate). The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect, but it’s the best we’ve seen. Still, the wave comment calls it marginal at best. This might be worth a look if you’re keen, but don’t expect magic.

The rest of the first week into early September is a rinse and repeat of small, short-period SW/S swell with onshore wind. The energy values stay moderate, like 709 on the 29th afternoon, but the quality isn’t there.

The next real standout is on Thursday the 3rd of September. The morning has a long-period swell—2 ft SSW with a period of 20 seconds—and light onshore wind. That period is very long, which means it’ll work best at the river mouth here at Newport Beach, not so much on the beach breaks where it might just roll through. Combined energy is 398 (moderate). It’s not big, but the potential for a clean, lined-up wave is there if the tide plays nice. Still, it’s marginal at best.

Friday the 4th sees a bump in size to 4 ft from the SSW on the afternoon, with a period of 17 seconds. The energy jumps to 839 (moderate-strong), but the wind is a gentle cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit textured.

Best on offer: Honestly, pick your poison. The Saturday morning (29th August) with the 3 ft, 17-second groundswell and light cross-onshore is about as good as it gets—small, but with some potential shape. The other nod goes to Thursday morning (3rd September) with the 20-second period. It’s tiny, but that long-period energy at the river mouth could produce some clean, walled-up runners if you’re patient.

For anything bigger than 5 ft, you’d be looking at expert territory, but we don’t see that in the window. Crowds are a problem here often, so expect company even when it’s small.

Given the mostly poor conditions, the river mouth might offer your best bet for a clean wave when the swell lines up, but for most of this forecast, the beach breaks look more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

The second week is more of the same—small, onshore, and unexciting. A few marginal mornings (like the 8th September) with light wind, but nothing to write home about.

Stay patient, boys.

Rusty

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