Venice Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and let’s talk about what’s ahead for the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it’s a pretty quiet stretch for us here at Venice Pier (California). The forecast is almost a total blank for decent, surfable waves, so don’t get your hopes up for any epic sessions.

The first day we see anything at all is Wednesday, August 19th, but it’s just a tiny 2 ft of swell from the SSW with a moderate combined energy (258). The wind is cross-on, so it’s light and messy, and the whole thing is borderline. That’s as good as it gets for a while, and it’s not saying much. After that, we slide into a real dry spell. From Thursday, August 20th, all the way through to early September, the waves are tiny – under 2 ft – and the wind is mostly onshore, making it a total no-go. The combined energy drops way down into the low 100-200 range, which is about as weak as it gets.

The water temperature here is about average for this time of year, so nothing to worry about there. But the lack of swell is the real story. You’ll see a few days like Sunday, August 23rd, with a 1 ft swell from the SW and a long period around 19 seconds, but the wind is just not right. It’s onshore, so any hope of clean lines is gone. The same goes for a few other mornings – the swell is there, but the wind kills it.

Looking further out, we’ve got a glimmer of hope around the end of August. On Saturday, August 29th, we see the biggest swell of the whole period – 3 ft from the SSW with a period of 17 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 393 (moderate). The wind is a light onshore, so it’s still not perfect, but it’s the most interesting we’ve seen. The morning of Monday, August 31st, also shows a 4 ft swell from the west, but it’s short period (7 seconds) and it’s for experts only. That’s about as big as it gets, but the quality is poor.

So, what’s the standout? Honestly, there’s no real standout. The best on offer is probably the morning of Saturday, August 29th, with a 3 ft swell from the SSW and moderate energy, but it’s still a marginal call. For the rest of the 16 days, you’re looking at flat or poor conditions. If you’re a beginner, keep an eye on that 3 ft day, but anything over 5 ft isn’t for you anyway. The truth is, this stretch is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing when the wind picks up. It’s a quiet run, but it’s normal for this area – it won’t stay poor forever.

Rusty.

Read more