Torrance Beach/Burn Out Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the data and talk about what’s really happening in the water.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first real option for a paddle is Monday morning, July 27th, down at Torrance Beach/Burn Out. Now, the water is sitting at a very unusual 71.8°F – that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year, a real anomaly. The swell is a clean 3.0ft out of the SSW, but here’s the kicker: that’s a long-period groundswell clocking in at 18 seconds. We’re talking about a lot of energy pushing through (combined energy of 582), but that long period can make a beach break like this a bit tricky – the sets will be fat and a bit straight, better for a bigger board or a longboard. The wind is a light cross-shore, so it’s not blown out, but the forecast calls it marginal, so don’t expect perfection.

The best bet in this whole 16-day window is actually Tuesday morning, July 28th. Still the same 3.0ft SSW swell, period dropping to 17 seconds, but the wind shifts to a light cross-offshore breeze. That’s a major positive. The guidance says "expect very good surf conditions". This is your standout. The energy is still solid (569), and with that clean wind, the lines will be holding up. Get on it early.

Wednesday morning, July 29th, is worth a mention too. The swell drops a touch to 2.6ft, but the period is still a healthy 16 seconds, and we’ve got that light cross-offshore wind again. It’s clean, but the energy is starting to back off (346). It’s a decent session, but not the standout Tuesday is.

From Thursday, July 30th, onwards, it gets grim. The swell drops, the wind goes onshore, and the quality tanks. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf or marginal conditions. The energy drops into the low hundreds and even the teens. Friday the 31st is a write-off with a tiny 1.6ft swell and a 6-second period (16 energy). That’s not surf, that’s a lake.

The first week of August is a total bust. The swell stays tiny, around 1.0ft to 1.3ft, with mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds. There’s a brief moment on Sunday, August 2nd, where the morning is clean with a light cross-offshore wind, but the swell is a pathetic 1.3ft (113 energy). It’s surfable, but barely. The consistency is poor.

We get a tiny flicker of life on Friday, August 7th, with a 1.3ft SSW swell that has a very long period of 19 seconds and a bit more energy (206), but the wind is cross-shore, and it’s still marginal. The same pattern drifts through the weekend and into the second week, with the swell hovering around 1.3ft to 2.3ft, but the wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, ruining any chance of a decent wave. The energy picks up a bit on Saturday, August 8th (305), but the wind is a moderate onshore breeze, making it choppy and messy – more of a kite session than a paddle.

Honestly, if you’re not surfing Tuesday morning, July 28th, you’re probably better off waiting for the next forecast update. It’s a long, dry spell after that.

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