Ballona Creek and Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m lookin’ at the charts for your local stretch, and I gotta be straight with you—it’s a quiet spell. The next couple of weeks ain’t gonna give us much to get excited about. We’re talkin’ a long stretch of small, weak swell with onshore or cross-onshore winds messin’ up the surface. There’s a gap of over a week from the start where it’s all poor conditions, then a couple of days near the end that might just be worth a paddle if you’re desperate.

Let’s run through it. The only spot in the frame is Ballona Creek and Jetty. It’s an exposed beach and jetty setup, mostly for advanced crew, and it’s fairly consistent but crowds can roll through sometimes. The water temp is about average for this time of year—nothin’ wild to report.

From Sunday, August 2 through to Thursday, August 13, it’s pretty grim. Swell heights are stuck around 1.0 ft to 2 ft out of the SW or SSW, with periods mostly between 13 and 19 seconds. That long period stuff is groundswell, but at this size it’s just not doin’ anything. The combined energy is weak, mostly in the 94 to 239 range—barely a whisper. Winds are light to gentle breezes from the S, SSW, or SW, so we’re lookin’ at cross-onshore or onshore conditions. The wave comment across all these days says “poor surf conditions” with a score of 0. There’s just no push, no shape, nothin’ to ride.

Now, we start to see a little flicker from Friday, August 14 through Monday, August 17. On the morning of Friday, August 14, we get a marginal call with a 1 ft swell from the SSW, period 18 seconds, and combined energy hittin’ 239. Winds are light from the SSW and onshore, so it’s clean-ish but tiny. Saturday, August 15 morning is similar—2 ft from the SW, period 16 seconds, energy 288, still marginal. Monday, August 17 morning bumps up to 2 ft from the SSW, period 15 seconds, energy 254, again marginal.

If you’re gonna pick a moment, the Saturday, August 15 morning window is the best of a bad bunch. That 2 ft SW swell with a 16-second period has a bit more energy (288) and the light onshore wind means it’ll be clean enough. But let’s be real—this is not a standout. It’s tiny, and the jetty can get a bit fat with long-period groundswell like this. Still, if you’re hard up for a paddle, it’s the least worst option.

Bottom line: we’ve got over a week of complete flatness, then a couple of mornings that might give you a few knee-high rollers. Not worth a special trip, but if you live nearby and just wanna get wet, keep an eye on Saturday, August 15 morning.

Rusty.

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