Venice Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’m gonna level with ya: Venice Pier has been stubborn for the foreseeable future. The whole 16-day window kicks off from Thursday, August 20, and honestly, we’re looking at a flat spell to start right through the first week and more. Don’t get your hopes up for a proper paddle for at least a solid week—it’s gonna be slim pickings.

Through Thursday the 20th up until about Sunday the 23rd, the swell barely tickles 0.3 ft to 0.5 ft, mostly out of the SSW and SW, and the period is all over the place. The energy is weak to moderate at best (197 down to 115) with light breeze and onshore or cross-onshore wind, so it’s messy. The combo makes for poor surf—unrideable pretty much—so you’re better off leaving the board in the car.

Come Sunday the 23rd and into Monday the 24th, the swell edges up to 0.4 ft with a longer period from the SW around 18–19 seconds, making for longer waits between the tiny sets. The combined energy wisps up a bit (209 on Sunday morning, 259 on Monday morning), but wind’s still onshore, so anything you get is weak and choppy. Marginal at best, not worth paddling out unless you own a log and have zero standards.

Tuesday the 25th stays marginal in the morning, but the afternoon brings that onshore blow again. Wednesday the 26th morning, there’s a faint spark: 0.5 ft from the SW, 16-second period, light cross-onshore, energy jumps to 317, but still calling it marginal. Thursday the 27th afternoon a tiny uptick with 0.9 ft from the SSW, 14 seconds, energy at 336, but that’s onshore trash. This is the most size you’ll see but the quality ain’t there.

By Friday the 28th and into the final week, the swell stays 0.5 ft to 0.9 ft, same SSW/SW direction, period hovering around 15–19 seconds. Saturday the 29th afternoon has the biggest energy reading of the whole run at 454, but at 0.9 ft and onshore wind from the WSW at 15 km/h (that’s about 9 mph), it’s messy. Sunday the 30th has a clean-ish morning with barely a whisper from light southerly at 5 km/h (about 3 mph), but wave quality is still marginal at 0.8 ft.

To be straight: there’s no standout window here. Nothing gets over the threshold for a good wave. The water temp’s pretty average for the time of year, so no worries there, but the lack of any proper push and poor wind direction means kite surfers might find the onshore texture more fun than us paddle folk. A blank run like this is not unusual for the area—sometimes Mother Nature keeps us waiting. Forecasts can change, but for now, go sharpen your fins and wait it out.

Rusty

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