Californias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab your board and listen up, it's Rusty. We’re looking at a long stretch ahead for Californias, and I gotta be straight with you – it starts off pretty flat and stays that way for a while. The first week and a half is a real bummer, with barely a ripple worth paddling for. There’s a big gap of nothingness from now until we finally see something pop up towards the end of the second week.

Right now, Thursday the 10th afternoon, we’ve got a weak 5ft swell from the north, but it’s blown out by a cross-shore and the whole thing feels marginal. The combined wave energy is only moderate at 388. Water temp is sitting at a pretty normal 83°F, nothing weird going on there.

Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th are a write-off. We’re dropping fast to 4ft and then 2ft, with hardly any energy behind it (190 to 75). The wind is clean, but there’s just nothing to ride. This pattern of tiny, poor surf conditions stretches right through until the end of the week and into the next.

Then, finally, there’s a flicker of life. On Saturday the 19th afternoon, things get interesting. A solid 6ft swell from the east rolls in, with a very long period of 18 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy jumps to a massive 2232, so you’ll feel the power. This is a real point-break or reef kind of swell; at a beach break it might wrap too straight. Wind is a cross-off, keeping it clean. This is the standout of the whole outlook.

Sunday the 20th morning keeps that promise going with a 7ft east swell at a 16-second period and energy of 2338. Again, clean with cross-off winds. This is well over 5ft, so it’s getting a bit much for beginners, but for the experienced crew, this is the best window we’ve got. The afternoon drops a little to 5ft but the wind picks up strong from the north at 25 mph, so it’ll be a bit bumpy.

After that, it’s all downhill. Monday the 21st brings strong cross-shore winds over 4ft north swell, which is messy. And the rest of the week just fizzles out back to tiny, clean but flat conditions. The whole second week is a short burst of quality, then nothing.

So, if you want a wave, your only real play is Saturday the 19th afternoon and Sunday the 20th morning at Californias. It’s not the longest window, but when it hits, it’ll have some real punch. Keep an eye on it – long-range forecasts can shift.

Rusty.

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