Laguna Beach - South Crescent Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty comin' at ya with the outlook for our local stretch. We're looking at a bit of a slow burn here, so let's get into it.

Right off the bat, don't expect much. For the first week, from Monday the 10th through the weekend, it's pretty grim. We've got a persistent SW breeze keeping things messy, and the swell is tiny. The combined energy is weak to moderate, and with such short-period swell, the waves are gonna be weak and jumbled. Honestly, it's going to be a struggle to find anything worth paddling out for. This stretch is best left to the beginners or those happy with a flat spell. The conditions are so poor that for kiteboarding, the light wind and weak swell might even be a challenge—but for a surfboard, it's a no-go.

Things try to turn a corner a little around Friday the 14th. We start to see a tick in the combined energy, still marginal but a sign of life. That might offer a few little lines, but it's not until Saturday the 15th that we get something, well, not terrible. The morning of the 15th shows a small bump to just under 3 ft from the SSW, but there's still an onshore wind. Not clean, but there might be a few grovelly waves for the guys on logs.

The only bright spot I can see with any decent potential is on Monday morning, August 24th. I know that's a long way out, but hear me out. The morning looks promising with some clean conditions: light offshore wind, swell building a bit to 2 ft (SW), and a moderate energy reading. The wind is looking on, which could make for some clean, small waves. It won't be big, but it could be a really fun morning for a high-performance shortboard on the inside. The swell direction is exactly what South-Crescent Bay wants (SSW optimum), and it's a fairly consistent spot, so it's not a fluke. Just keep in mind, it's a river mouth and reef setup, so the longer period swell (18 secs) might break a little straight on the sand banks, but the offshore wind is a major positive.

So, to sum it up: the next week is a write-off. Don't waste your petrol. The best bet on the whole 16-day forecast is that Monday the 24th. It's a long-range call, so treat it as a promising maybe. Mark the calendar, keep your fingers crossed, and check back closer to the date.

Rusty.

Read more