Bolinas Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s shaping up for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the outlook is a bit of a heartbreaker for the first ten days or so. The waves just don’t seem to want to get their act together. We’ve got a small window of marginal surf around the 8th, but the real story starts to unfold toward the middle of the second week. The water is sitting at 58°F right now, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so at least that’s not a shock.

The only spot on the radar is Bolinas Jetty. It’s a beginner-friendly beach and jetty setup, fairly consistent, but it’s not a spot that’s going to blow your mind. The best swell direction for it is SSW, and right now we’re looking at a lot of small, weak, cross-onshore slop. The earlier part of the period is pretty grim – from the 5th through the 7th, it’s all poor surf conditions with tiny 1ft to 2ft SW swell, short period, and light cross-onshore winds. Weak energy too, around 111 to 293 (moderate at best). Not worth paddling out for.

The 8th and 9th see a bit of a pulse. Saturday morning the 8th has a 2ft SSW swell, still small, but the energy bumps up to 344 (moderate). It’s still marginal, though. Sunday morning the 9th is where we get a bigger jump: 6ft from the WNW at 10 seconds, with a moderate energy reading of 694. That’s the first hint of something real. The wind is light and cross-shore, so it’s not totally blown out. But it’s still just marginal. After that, we slide back into a messy stretch of onshore winds and poor conditions all the way through the 13th.

The 14th looks like a washout too – small, weak, and onshore. Honestly, the first standout comes around the 18th and 19th. Tuesday morning, August 18th is looking promising. We’ll have clean conditions with cross-offshore winds and a 2ft SW swell, period around 14 seconds. That’s a long period groundswell, so it’ll have some push and shape, but it’s small. Energy is moderate at 353. It’s a good call for a longboard and a patient session.

Wednesday morning, August 19th is my pick for the best of the whole run. The swell jumps to 5ft from the WNW at 8 seconds, with a moderate energy of 532. The wind is cross-offshore and light, so expect clean, fun waves. The period is short, so it won’t be the most powerful, but it’ll be rideable and fun. The swell direction isn’t perfect for the optimum SSW, but the overall conditions are good.

Thursday morning, August 20th is a close second. 6ft from the WNW again, 8 second period, and energy hits 620 (moderate). Clean, cross-offshore winds. This one is nicely sized for a fun session, but short period swell at a beach/jetty break can get a little lumpy and fast. Still, it’s your best bet for a proper wave.

Crowds at Bolinas Jetty can be an issue, so expect company if it’s looking good. It’s a fairly consistent spot, so the dry spells we’re seeing now are a bit of a bummer, but it won’t stay this way forever.

So, bottom line: the first week is a write-off. The second week has a couple of windows that are worth keeping an eye on, especially the 19th and 20th of August. That’s your best chance for a decent session.

Rusty.

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