Blacks Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks aren’t exactly firing around Blacks Beach. We’ve got a long stretch of small, average-to-poor conditions ahead, so don’t get your hopes up too high. The best of what’s on offer is a late-breaking window right at the very end of the month and into the start of September.

We kick off from Tuesday, 18 August with a clean but pretty weak little 2ft SSW groundswell rolling in. The period is a solid 16 seconds, which is proper groundswell, and the wind is light and offshore from the west – that’ll keep the surface glassy. But the combined wave energy is only moderate at 397, and the surf is real marginal. It’s barely breaking with any punch. Wednesday the 19th sees a slight bump to 3ft from the same SSW direction, still with that long 16-second period and offshore west winds. The energy creeps up to 475, but it’s still a marginal call – nothing to get excited about.

Then we hit a real flat spell. From Thursday, 20 August through to Wednesday, 27 August, it’s mostly 2ft to 3ft rubbish. The swell direction swings from SSW to SW, periods drop a bit, and the wind goes cross-on or just onshore. The energy levels are weak to moderate – think 201 to 364. There’s a couple of moments on Saturday, 22 August afternoon (3ft, 14s, 364 energy) and Sunday morning, 23 August (2ft but a very long 19-second period, 340 energy) where it’s clean, but the size just isn’t there. It’s a paddler’s dream for exercise, not for getting barreled. This stretch is a big gap of no real recommendations – about a solid week of nothing worth racing down for.

Now, Thursday, 27 August morning shows a weird spike: 4ft from the west, but with a short 8-second period and energy of 410. That’s a weak, choppy windswell, and the wind is cross-on from the SW. Not good – only one for the die-hards. That afternoon drops back to 1ft.

Here’s the standout window. From Saturday, 29 August through to Monday, 31 August, we finally see a proper lift. Saturday morning has 3ft from the SSW with a very long 18-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy building to 809. The wind is a light cross-onshore, so expect a few bumps, but it’s still manageable. Saturday afternoon gets better: 4ft, 17-second period, energy jumps to 883, and the wind switches to a light offshore from the west. That’s clean, lined-up surf – the best of the whole forecast.

Sunday, 30 August is similar: 4ft SSW swell, 16-second period, and energy hits 951, but the morning has a light cross-onshore breeze. Still, that’s punchy and consistent for a point break like Blacks. Afternoon stays at 4ft with a 15-second period and west-southwest offshore winds. The energy is still strong at 685.

Monday, 31 August morning drops a little to 3ft (14 seconds, 515 energy) with a gentle cross-onshore, making it a bit choppy. Afternoon cleans right up with west offshore winds, but the swell fades to 3ft.

After that, Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week of September are back to the same old story: 2ft to 3ft dribble with light onshore winds. Not worth the wetsuit.

The water temp anomaly isn’t given in the data, so I’ll just say it feels about what you’d expect for this time of year around Blacks Beach – not unusually warm or cold.

The best call? Saturday, 29 August afternoon and Sunday, 30 August morning at Blacks Beach (San Diego). You’re looking at a consistent 4ft to 4ft of clean SSW groundswell with that long period, light offshore winds on Saturday arvo, and solid energy (883 to 951). Quality is marginal on paper, but in context, it’s the pick of a pretty average two weeks. Crowds can be an issue here – it’s a famous spot – but in these small conditions, it should be manageable. If you’re an advanced surfer, this is your window. Beginners might find the 4ft a bit much, but it’s not massive.

That’s the long and short of it. Stay patient, and keep an eye on that last weekend of August.

Rusty.

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