Venice Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a seat. Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s doing for the next couple of weeks.

Venice Pier – it’s a quiet stretch ahead, I won’t lie. The first real surf worth mentioning is on Saturday the 8th of August, but it’s a shy one. We’re looking at a long-period groundswell coming from the SSW at 2ft, with a period of 17 seconds. That’s a drawn-out, clean line, but it’s small. The combined energy of all swells directed here is moderate at 215, and the water is a balmy 72°, which is a full 7° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, blood-warm stuff. The wind is a light breeze from the SW, which is blowing onshore, so the surface won’t be glassy. For a beginner spot, this is tiny and clean enough for a longboard, but don’t expect any punch. The swell direction is SSW, which is not the optimum SW direction for this sandbar, so it’s a bit of a compromise.

Honestly, the rest of the outlook is a bit of a downer. From Saturday afternoon right through to Sunday the 23rd of August, every single session is rated as poor surf conditions. The swell stays stubbornly small, between 1ft and 3ft, with the wind mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the combined energy fluctuates but never gets strong. There’s a few mornings where the wind is light and the conditions are labelled “marginal” – like Thursday the 14th of August morning (1ft, 19s period, combined energy 263) and Saturday the 16th of August morning (2ft, 15s period, combined energy 399) – but the wind is still onshore, so it’s not going to be clean. The long period means the sets will be spaced out, but at this size, it’s more of a paddle than a surf.

The best of what’s on offer, if you’re really keen, is the Saturday the 16th of August morning. That 2ft of SSW swell with a 15-second period and a combined energy of 399 is the biggest energy we see, but the onshore breeze from the SW will mess up the face. The next morning, Sunday the 17th of August, has a similar marginal call with 2ft and 14 seconds, but again, the wind is onshore.

There are no standouts. The crowd at Venice Pier is often there, which is expected for a spot that’s sometimes working, but with this lack of swell, it’ll be empty. The setup is a sandbar, exposed to the SW, but the swell is coming from the SSW, so it’s not hitting it right. For a beginner, it’s safe and small, but it’s barely worth the trip.

Rusty.

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