Venice Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, it's Rusty here. Let me level with you about what’s coming up for our stretch of coast at Venice Pier. It’s been a weird run of weather and the ocean has been feeling the heat too – the water temp is sitting at 75° right now, which is far warmer than normal for this time of year by over 9°. That’s one for the history books, not for any good swell.

Honestly, we’re looking at a long, drawn-out period of flat or near-flat conditions. We have to wait until Thursday morning, September 3rd, before we even see anything that could be called marginal. That’s a massive gap of several days with no real surf on offer at all. And even then, it’s not pretty. That first Thursday morning shows a tiny bit of swell at 1 ft from the SW, but the wind is cross-shore and light, so you might get some knee-high crumbs. The energy is moderate at best (207).

Thursday afternoon on the 3rd is a tease – the swell bumps up to 2 ft from the SSW with a very long period of 18 seconds. That groundswell energy spikes to moderate (347), but it’s blighted by onshore wind. It’ll be bumpy and hard to enjoy.

We do get a little run of cleaner conditions from Monday, September 7th, into Tuesday morning. Swell is still tiny, just 3 ft max from the south, with a moderate period (12-13 seconds). The key here is that the wind switches to a light cross-offshore from the NNW on Monday morning and afternoon, and it’s bringing light rain, so the surface cleans right up despite the small size. This is the best we are going to get. The wave comment says it’s “clean” so you’ll be fighting for those waist-high sets but at least without chop. The combined energy is moderate (397). If you’re a beginner, this is your window, but don’t expect power.

From there, it fades back into nothing. By Wednesday the 9th, we’re back down to 1 ft and onshore winds. The rest of the fortnight is a write-off – tiny swell, constant onshore or cross-onshore wind, and wave energy dropping to weak levels (104-145). This is not going to be a good run. Summer doldrums have a tight grip right now. The most interesting thing out here might be a kite if the wind picks up, because the waves won’t be doing the work.

Just a heads up for the long-range: Thursday, September 10th, and Friday, September 11th, have a faint pulse of 2 ft to 2 ft swell with decent period (16-17 seconds), but the wind remains onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s unlikely to come together. Don’t hold your breath. Conditions like this are more normal for the area in this flat season, so a blank run isn't shocking.

Rusty.

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