Californias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s coming for Californias over the next couple of weeks. It’s a reef break, fairly consistent, and it likes swell from the north. The water’s about average for this time of year, nothing too crazy.

First up, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. Tuesday the 1st has some chest-high east swell, around 6ft, period of 9 seconds, and a fresh offshore wind out of the ENE. The combined energy is moderate (477). It’s clean, but the score isn’t high and there are some tide issues. Not a total write-off, but you’d want to be picky about the bank and the tide.

Wednesday the 2nd looks better. The morning is a bit mixed, but by the afternoon, the swell drops to 4ft from the east, period 9 seconds, and the wind swings offshore from the east at 16 mph. Energy is moderate (332), and it’s clean. That afternoon session is the pick of the early days – a proper little window.

Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are pretty average. Onshore winds, messy conditions, and the swell drops right off. Friday is barely ankle-snapper stuff, with weak energy (87). There’s a real lull here.

Now, Saturday the 5th – this is the standout for the first week. Overnight, the swell shifts to the north, 5-5ft, period 10 seconds, and we’ve got light cross-offshore winds in the morning and a gentle breeze in the afternoon. The combined energy is moderate (466-541). Both sessions are clean, and the water will be glassy. This is the one to circle on the calendar. The north swell is right in the optimum direction for this reef, and it should line up nicely with clean conditions. Crowds are likely here, but for good reason.

Sunday the 6th drops off again, small and messy, though the afternoon has a light offshore wind. Not worth rushing for.

Monday the 7th is flat – tiny, weak energy (27). Nothing doing.

Tuesday the 8th sees a small pulse of east-northeast swell, 4-4ft, period 7-8 seconds, with a moderate offshore wind. It’s surfable but ordinary. Energy is moderate (295). It’s a “maybe” if you’re desperate.

From Wednesday the 9th through Friday the 11th, it’s all north/north-northeast wind, moderate to fresh, and the swell hangs around 4ft to 6ft. But the winds are cross-offshore and fairly strong, and the energy is moderate (275-513). The conditions are clean but the wind keeps the quality down. Nothing special.

Now for the second week – Saturday the 12th through to the end of the window. A bigger northwest swell arrives Saturday the 12th, 8-10ft, period 9 seconds, and the energy jumps to strong (847-1481). But the wind is cross-shore and lumpy, and it’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session. That size is pretty heavy for this break, and the period is short, so it’ll be chunky and a bit unruly. Not for the faint-hearted.

Sunday the 13th drops a bit but still solid – 10ft northwest swell, period 9-10 seconds, with fresh to strong cross-offshore winds. Energy is very strong (1743-2181). The conditions are clean, but this is only for experienced surfers. It’s raw and powerful.

Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th keep the swell in the 7ft to 8ft range, with strong north winds. The energy stays strong (698-1158). Again, expert territory. The winds are cross-offshore but strong, so it’ll be a battle to get out.

Wednesday the 16th – the last day – sees the swell drop to 6ft from the northwest, period 10 seconds, but the wind is howling from the east at 37 mph. It’s a near gale, offshore, but you won’t be paddling into anything. That’s a hard pass.

Overall, the best of the lot is Saturday the 5th. That north swell with light winds and clean conditions is your window. The bigger stuff from the 12th onwards is for the crew who like it heavy, but it’s not what I’d call clean fun. There’s a real gap from late Friday the 4th through to Saturday the 5th, then again from Sunday the 6th to Tuesday the 8th is pretty ordinary. The long-range standouts are promising but less certain – those big days from the 12th could get messy fast.

Rusty.

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