Bolsa Chica Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – this ain’t a classic stretch. We’ve got a persistent small, weak south-west swell rolling in, but the wind’s just about always messing it up. Nothing here is going to get your heart proper racing.

The water at Bolsa Chica is sitting at 71°, which is a good 4° warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a pretty notable anomaly – it’s feeling much warmer than usual, almost like a late summer bath.

We start off with a pretty quiet run. Saturday the 12th through to Tuesday the 15th is a write-off. The swell is tiny, between 1 ft and 2 ft, and the wind is a cross-onshore mess. Saturday morning’s got a combined energy of 209 (moderate), but with a 12 mph cross-on breeze from the south, it’s just choppy and weak. Afternoon doesn’t get better. Sunday and Monday are more of the same – light winds but still cross-onshore, with swell heights barely ticking over. The energy levels are moderate at best, topping out around 239 early Monday, but the cross-shore wind from the SSE at 12 mph just chops it all up. It’s poor.

Wednesday the 16th is the first time we see anything that might make you look twice. The morning bump is 3 ft from the SSW, and the energy jumps to 371 (moderate). The wind is light and onshore from the SSW, and while it’s marked as marginal, it’s the closest thing to a clean wave we’ve seen. The period is 18 seconds, so it’s a proper long-period groundswell, which will give some shape but also long lulls. For a beach break like this, that long period can make it a bit straight and tricky. Still, it’s the pick of the week. Thursday and Friday mornings also hover around the 2 ft to 2 ft mark with similar energy, but the wind stays on the cross-onshore side, keeping the surface messy.

The standout window – if you want to call it that – is the weekend of the 20th and 21st of September. The swell sticks at 2 ft to 3 ft from the SW, and the combined energy pushes into the 400s, peaking at 475 on Sunday afternoon. That’s the strongest energy we see across the whole run. But here’s the sting – the wind is either light cross-onshore or onshore. Sunday morning the 20th is the best chance: a 2 ft SW swell, 18 second period, 434 energy (moderate-strong), and a light S breeze at 6 mph – that’s a light cross-onshore, which is workable. The water will have small wind ripples but it’s not blown out. It’s still marginal, but it’s the closest we get to clean. If you’re a beginner, these 3 ft waves are just fine; it’s not heavy.

Crowds at Bolsa Chica are listed as ‘sometimes’ busy, so on a clean-ish morning expect a few heads out, but nothing crazy.

After that, Monday the 21st has similar size and energy (457 on the morning), but wind shifts to a steady cross-onshore again. From Tuesday the 22nd onward, the swell and energy drop back, and the wind stays nasty – moderate cross-onshore or onshore all the way through to the 27th. The last few days are a real fade, with energy dipping below 250 and swell period dropping to 12-14 seconds. It’s flatter and weaker.

Forget about the second week after that – it’s not worth the drive. There’s no proper standout here. If you’re desperate, paddle out Sunday the 20th morning or Wednesday the 16th morning. But honestly, this is one for the longboard and a patient mindset. The water’s warm, though.

Rusty.

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