Venice Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it's a tough stretch. We're looking at a long, flat spell that's gonna test your patience. The first chance of anything even close to a wave doesn't show up until Friday the 7th of August, and even then, it's a real struggle. The water temp is sitting at a very unusual 73°, which is a solid 8° warmer than normal for this time of year, so you'll be in a t-shirt, but that's about the only good news.

Let's run through the options. The only spot on the radar is Venice Pier. It's a sandbar setup, exposed to the open ocean, and it's a beginner-friendly spot. The swell direction it really wants is from the SW.

The first few days are a write-off. Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th have tiny 1ft SW windswell, but it's blown out by onshore winds. The combined energy is weak (92 to 109), so the paddle out might be the most exciting part.

On Friday the 7th of August, the morning shows a glimmer of hope. We've got a 1ft swell from the SSW, but the period jumps to 19 seconds. That's a very long period groundswell, which is promising, but it's a double-edged sword. It's hitting a beach break, so it might be a bit too straight and tricky to catch. The wind is light cross-onshore, and the energy is moderate (202). It's a "marginal" call. The rest of that day and the weekend remain tiny and onshore, with most of the energy being mushed out.

The real tease comes in the second week. From Friday the 14th of August, the swell size starts to creep up to 2ft and 3ft, and the energy numbers get strong, hitting over 400 (407) on the afternoon of the 14th. The period is still a solid 16-18 seconds, meaning there's some proper groundswell energy in the water. But here's the killer – the wind is consistently onshore, blowing straight on from the SW or WSW. It's going to be a messy, choppy, blown-out mess.

The best chance you'll get all period is probably the morning of Sunday the 16th of August. The swell is still 3ft from the SSW with a 16-second period, and the wind drops to a whisper at 3 mph from the SSW. That's a slight air, making it a light cross-onshore that could clean the surface up a bit. The energy is still strong (353). It's still a "marginal" call, but it's the cleanest window in the whole 16 days. The rest of the time it's just onshore slop.

Honestly, this is a grim outlook. The setup at Venice Pier is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of this period. The windows are so small and the quality is so low, it's a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but right now, it's a long, flat, windy road ahead.

- Rusty

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