Californias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the outlook for Californias. To be straight with you, the next week and a half is a patchy affair. We’ve got a dry spell to start, then a big pulse of energy rolls in, but it comes with some serious qualifiers.

We kick off with nearly nothing. Saturday the 22nd through Monday the 24th is basically flat. A few tiny, weak waves, poor conditions, and strong onshore winds. You’re better off doing something else. After that, things get interesting but not straightforward.

The standout window is actually Tuesday the 25th. Early morning, we’ve got a solid 10ft swell pushing in from the east, with a long period of 17 seconds. That’s groundswell, and it’s packing a punch – the combined energy is a massive 4695 (strong to very strong). The wind is light and cross-offshore, which means clean faces. This is a big, powerful swell. At 10ft, it’s expert territory. The long period will make it powerful and walled-up at this break, so only the experienced crew should be out there. The afternoon holds up similar size but with a bit less period and some clouds.

The rest of the week settles down. Wednesday the 26th through Thursday the 27th still has solid 7ft to 8ft swell, but the wind swings around to a light cross-onshore, which will put a bit of a bump on the surface. It’s surfable for the keen, but not the cleanest. Friday the 28th morning sees a drop to 6ft from the northwest, with a light cross-offshore breeze. It’s cleaner, but the energy is tailing off.

Then we hit another gap. From Saturday the 29th into the start of September, it’s small and weak again. Sunday the 30th afternoon, a new 4ft easterly swell shows up with a moderate offshore breeze. That’s cleaner, but small. For the first week of September, there’s a persistent NNE wind, keeping things cross-off and clean, but the swell is inconsistent and mostly in the 3ft to 4ft range. The best chance in that second week is Wednesday the 3rd, where a 8ft to 10ft northerly swell arrives. The wind is a fresh breeze, but it’s cross-off, so the faces will be clean. Again, that’s expert-level size.

The water temperature here is about what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing unusual.

So, my call: if you’re a solid expert, the absolute best is Tuesday the 25th, early. That’s a big, clean, powerful groundswell. For everyone else, keep an eye on the smaller but cleaner windows around Sunday the 30th afternoon and the first few days of September, but don’t expect much.

Rusty.

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