Ballona Creek and Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

We’re gonna be straight with you – this is a rough patch for Ballona Creek and Jetty. The overall pattern is small, weak, and plagued by onshore or cross-onshore winds. There’s a noticeable gap of poor surf conditions in the second week.

The first real chance to get wet is Sunday morning, July 26th. The water is sitting at 71°, which is a whopping 7° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, and it’s going to feel like a warm bath. The swell is a tiny 3ft from the SSW, but the magic is in the period: a very long 19 seconds. That’s proper groundswell. The combined energy is moderate (525). The problem is the wind is a light 3 mph onshore from the SSW. It’s not strong, but it’s not helping. This spot is a beach/jetty setup, so that long period might make it a bit walled-up and straight, but for the experienced surfer, the patience might pay off for a few clean ones. It’s a “sometimes” crowd spot, so you might have some company, but it’s not a circus.

Monday and Tuesday mornings offer a slightly bigger 3ft swell, still with a long period, but the wind turns cross-onshore, putting a little bump on the surface that makes it marginal. The rest of the first week, through Thursday July 30th, is a struggle with onshore breezes and dropping swell energy.

By Friday, August 1st, the swell drops to 3ft but the period shortens up to 12 seconds, and the energy weakens. Saturday, August 2nd, things really fall apart. Swell drops to 2ft and the combined energy plummets to 132 – weak. From Sunday, August 3rd, right through to the end of the forecast on August 10th, we’re looking at tiny surf. The swell stays between 1.0ft and 2ft for days on end, with the energy often dipping below 100. Almost every session is marked as “poor surf conditions.” This is a long, flat spell.

The only other tiny flicker is on Thursday, August 7th, when the swell kicks back up to 2ft but with a very long 19-second period again, giving us a little spike in energy (284). But the wind is onshore, so it’s still a tough call.

Honestly, for a surfer, this is a kite-surfing setup for most of the window – the wind is light and onshore, and the waves are too small and weak for proper paddle surfing. The best bet is Sunday morning, July 26th, for the desperate, or maybe the morning of August 7th if you’re feeling optimistic. Otherwise, we’re in a dry spell.

Rusty.

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