Venice Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, pulling up a chair for the Venice Pier outlook. Let's be honest from the get-go: the next week and a half is gonna test your patience. We're looking at a long stretch of weak, onshore slop that's barely worth paddling out for. The good news is it does improve eventually, but you'll be waiting a while.

Right now and for the first few days, it's a write-off. Waves are tiny, around 1ft to 3ft, and most of the time the wind is straight onshore from the southwest, making it a bumpy mess. The combined energy is pretty weak (173 to 303). You'd be better off doing something else.

We start to see a glimmer of hope around the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September. The wind goes light cross-shore, and while the swell is still only 1ft, the combined energy bumps up a bit (213). It’s still only a 1 out of 10 though—a marginal, questionable little wave. The breeze is light, so it won't be choppy, but don't expect much push.

The next two days, Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th, see the swell pick up just a touch to 3ft from the SSW. A light southeast breeze on Friday morning keeps it clean, and the energy is finally building (417). This is the first period that looks like it might offer a few rideable runners, but it's nothing to get excited about. Saturday is similar, maybe a bit more energy (587) with a light offshore wind as the day goes on.

Now, Sunday the 6th of September is where it finally gets interesting. A cold front swings through, bringing a moderate breeze from the north that turns offshore at Venice Pier. Swell ticks up to 3ft from the south with a moderate 14-second period (63). The morning has a bit of cross-off wind (12 mph), but the afternoon cleans right up to a light offshore (6 mph). The energy is solid (634). This is the first day you can genuinely look forward to.

And then—boom. The standout session of the entire outlook is the morning of Monday the 7th of September. We've got a 5ft south swell with a 13-second period, glassy conditions—I'm talking no wind at all, just a slight air—and the combined energy is pumping at 854. That’s proper wave energy. This window in the morning will be clean, with nice lines. The water temperature is a very unusual 74°F, much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won't need a thick suit.

However, a word of caution: that same afternoon on Monday the 7th, the swell is forecast to absolutely spike to 12ft. That is way too big for beginners and even experts will be dealing with a washing machine. The energy is massive (3195), but it's a full-on heavy-duty day. After that, it drops off a cliff again. From Tuesday the 8th onward for the rest of the 16-day window, we’re back to tiny, onshore dribble with waves under 2ft and weak energy. There's a couple of mornings with a light breeze, but the swell just isn't there to do anything with.

So, to sum it up: Wait it out. Sunday the 6th will give you a few fun ones, but the absolute best is the glassy morning of Monday the 7th of September. If you can get in the water before it gets too big that afternoon, that's your session.

Rusty.

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