Venice Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your boards, let’s talk about what’s happening at Venice Pier.

To be honest, the next week and a half is looking pretty flat and wobbly. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf and onshore wind, so if you’re itching for a wave, you might be better off waiting. The swell will be small, and with the wind coming straight on, it’s going to be a mess. We do have some solid long-period energy in the mix early on, but it’s not translating into anything rideable just yet.

For the first part of this outlook, it’s pretty grim. Through the weekend and into next week, we are looking at waves barely pushing 3ft with a 16-second period, but the wind is blowing straight onshore. The combined swell energy is moderate, sitting around 381, but it’s not doing us any favors. You’ll see a bunch of “marginal” and “poor” calls, and with light onshore breezes, the surface will be chopped up. Honestly, if you have a kite, that might be more fun than a surfboard right now.

The 16th and 17th don’t get better. The swell drops and the wind stays on it. It is not what you want to see for a Sunday or Monday. There is some cross-on wind on Monday morning, which just makes it messier. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no excuses there, but you’ll be scratching for a clean one.

We have a real gap here. From the 18th through the 24th, the swell energy drops to weak levels, with readings consistently below 200. The waves are ankle-biters at best, and the wind is still wrong. We’re talking days of poor conditions and no decent surf on the cards. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

Then the last few days of the month start to show a pulse. The 25th of August brings a new swell, and it’s a different story. The energy jumps to 669, and we’re looking at 3ft to 4ft of SSW swell, with the period holding at 15-16 seconds. This is more like it. The wind is still cross-on in the morning, but it's light, so the surface should be cleaner than the previous dead days. This is the standout period. It’s still a marginal call, but it's the best we have.

The 26th and 27th keep that energy up, with around 687 and 603 respectively, and the swell holds around 3ft to 4ft. The wind is light, and while it’s not glassy, it’s getting there. The 27th has a cross-on breeze, but it's light. This is your window, and it's a long-period swell. At a beach break like Venice Pier, long-period swells can sometimes close out, but the sandbar can be okay.

The last couple of days of the month (the 28th to 30th) continue to show that new swell, with the energy remaining in the 500-700 range. The waves stay around 3ft to 4ft, with a mix of SSW and SW directions. The wind stays light, which is a plus.

So, here’s the bottom line. Don't get your hopes up for the first half of this forecast. It’s flat and windy. The real action is the last week of August, specifically the morning of the 25th and into the 26th and 27th. It’s not going to be perfect, but it’s a far cry from what we’ve seen. If you want to get wet, that’s your window. It's a long call out, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty out.

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