Venice Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this 16-day window for Venice Pier is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, weak waves, and the wind is never going to be kind enough to make it truly good. The key here is patience; if you’re desperate for a paddle, there are a couple of windows where it might be borderline, but don’t expect anything to write home about. There’s a gap of several days where the conditions are just plain poor, so don’t plan your week around it.

The first semi-decent chance comes very early on Tuesday afternoon, September 8th. The swell is tiny at 2 ft from the SSW, with a long period of 13 seconds, but it’s a total mess. The wind is a cross-on 12 mph from the WNW, making it choppy. The water here is a balmy 73°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be cold while you’re getting frustrated. The combined energy is weak (230).

Wednesday morning, September 9th, is the only real standout in the whole run, and even then, it’s marginal. The swell drops to 1 ft from the SW, but the period stretches way out to 19 seconds. Importantly, the wind is light and *onshore* from the WSW at 3 mph – that’s “on” in the data, which for a sandbar setup like this is actually a positive. It’s not offshore, but it’s so light it’ll be glassy. The combined energy is still weak (237). This is your best bet, but it’s a gamble for a knee-high wave.

After that, the outlook gets grim. Wednesday afternoon (September 9th) through to the end of the forecast on September 23rd, the swell stays between 1 ft and 3 ft, with mostly cross-on or onshore winds. The period varies, but the combined energy never gets beyond moderate (peaking at 383 on the 21st). The wind is consistently from the WSW or SW, keeping things messy. By the time we get to the second week, the pattern is the same: tiny, weak, and blown out. The morning of Monday, September 21st, shows a slightly better energy reading (383) with a 3 ft SW swell and a 17 second period, but the wind is cross-on from the S at 3 mph. It’s still marginal, and the tide could be a factor.

Truth is, for a beginner-friendly spot like Venice Pier, these small, weak swells might be safe for a splash, but the quality is just not there. The long period swells (17-19 seconds) we’re seeing are classic groundswells, but they’re breaking too straight on this beach setup and the wind is never right to hold them open. For a more experienced surfer, there’s nothing here worth chasing. The setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer on those afternoons with a bit of cross-on wind, but for a paddle surfer? Save your energy.

Rusty.

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