Californias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Honestly, mate, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak. We’ve got a solid stretch of small, weak surf and not much push behind it. The swell energy is weak across the board, and the windows of clean conditions are few and far between. There’s a lot of waiting and not a lot of riding.

To start things off, the only spot on the list is Californias, a reef break. The water’s sitting at 86°, which is about average for this time of year – nothing weird there. On Monday the 10th, we’ve got a tiny 4ft W swell rolling in with a 10-second period. The energy is weak (247), and while the early morning is clean, it’s really just not enough to get excited about. The wind is cross-off, but the surf quality is poor – it’s a scratchy, weak little wave. It stays small through the afternoon, dropping to 3ft.

Tuesday the 11th is even smaller, with a 2ft E swell and a 12-second period. There’s a touch more energy in the water (73), but it’s still weak. The morning is clean enough, but the conditions are ordinary. We see a S cross-on breeze in the afternoon, and it just gets messy.

Wednesday the 12th drops to 1ft, with energy down to 40. It’s cross-shore and choppy, not worth a paddle. Thursday the 13th is similar, 2ft N swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds. The morning has a cross-off breeze, but it’s still poor.

Friday the 14th shows a little bump – 2ft W swell with an 8-second period. The energy is up to 61, which is still weak, but the morning is glassy clean with a light offshore. It’s surfable, but you’d be paddling for gutless little lumps. Not a standout by any stretch.

Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are back to tiny 2ft and 1ft, with weak energy and onshore/cross-off winds. By Monday the 17th, it’s down to 1ft with 10-second periods. The energy is just 23. It’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride.

From the 18th through the 25th, it’s a desert. Swell heights hover around 0.7ft to 1ft, energy drops into single digits or the low 20s. There’s a bit of offshore wind here and there, keeping it clean, but a clean ankle-snapper is still an ankle-snapper. The 21st and 22nd have periods with zero swell. Total flatness.

If you’re a beginner, this is actually a good time to stay on the beach. The swell never gets over 5ft, so it’s not dangerous, but it’s just not there. Given the persistent small surf, poor quality, and the increasing winds later in the period, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing – at least there’ll be some breeze to play with.

There’s one faint glimmer on the horizon. On Tuesday the 25th, the forecast shows a 0.7ft E swell with a much longer 13-second period. The energy is still weak (13), but that longer period hints at a bit more push. It’s a long way out, so treat it as promising but not certain. Don’t book your flights for that one.

Bottom line: the next 16 days are a write-off for real surfing. It’s a blank run, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Rusty out.

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