Venice Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this outlook for Venice Pier is a tough one. The next 16 days are looking pretty bleak, with nothing that’d get a local frothing. The first solid chance of anything even close to rideable doesn’t appear until Friday 14 August morning, and even then, it’s marginal at best. From now until then, it’s pretty much a write-off: over a week of small, messy, onshore slop with poor surf conditions.

Overall Pattern: Weak, onshore wind-dominated swells from the SSW and SW are the main story. The waves are tiny, mostly 1 ft to 3 ft, and the wind is almost constantly onshore or cross-onshore, which kills any hope of a clean face. The swell periods are generally moderate, with a few longer-period pulses (14-24 seconds) that hint at some energy, but they’re just not backed up by enough size or favourable wind. The combined swell energy is low to moderate, sitting in the 100s to low 300s (e.g., 144 to 345), so the ocean’s not putting out much power. Water temp is about average for this time of year in the area.

The Best (if you’re desperate): There’s no real standout here. If you’ve got a log and low expectations, the Friday 14 August morning session is the least bad option. Swell from the SSW at 1 ft with a period of 19 seconds—that long period means it’s a groundswell, which at a sandbar setup like Venice Pier can be a bit tricky, often breaking straight. But with light onshore winds, it’ll be small and weak. The combined energy is 254—moderate, but not much push. Honestly, it’s more of a splish than a surf.

Saturday 15 August afternoon also gets a marginal nod, with 3 ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, and combined energy at 345. That’s the biggest swell of the entire run, but it’s still small, and the light onshore breeze won’t help much.

Crowds & Vibe: This break is exposed and often crowded. With waves this tiny, most regular surfers will give it a miss, so you might have it nearly to yourself. But that’s because there’s nothing worth paddling for.

The Gap: You’re looking at a stretch from now (10 August) with no surf of any quality. The first slightly hopeful window is Friday 14 August. Then it’s patchy, marginal calls through to Sunday 23 August, but nothing with a score that screams “go.” By Monday 25 August, a small 1 ft swell from the SW with a long 24-second period and light cross-onshore wind shows up, which is interesting for the period but still poor surf conditions. It’s a long, flat wait.

For beginners, the occasional knee-high waves under 5 ft are fine, but the onshore wind and weak energy won’t make for fun learning waves. For anyone else, you’re better off with a kiteboard on a breezy day—this setup is far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing given the constant onshore flow and small, choppy surf.

So, head elsewhere or don’t bother. Forecasts can change, but right now, this is a long drought.

Rusty.

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