Californias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch ahead for Californias. We’re looking at a solid 16-day window, but honestly, there’s barely a ripple worth paddling for. The surf’s tiny and messy for the first week, then it flat-out dies for a few days before some wind swell tries to show up, but the wind ruins it. Let’s run through it.

Starting now, Thursday the 13th of August, we’ve got nothing doing. Tiny waves around 2 ft from the north with a short 8-second period – that’s weak, barely breaking. The combined energy is a measly 28, so there’s no push. Thursday afternoon goes glassy with the same size, but it’s still poor surf.

Friday the 14th is worse, dropping to 1 ft and then 1.0 ft. Saturday and Sunday the 15th and 16th stay in the 1.0 ft range, with a bit more direction from the ENE and a period lifting to 10–11 seconds, but the energy is still in the low 20s. There’s some glassy conditions on Saturday morning, which is nice, but you need something to ride. This is flat spell territory.

Monday the 17th through to Wednesday the 19th of August sees tiny, poor surf with offshore winds, but the swell is barely there – still 1.0 ft to 2 ft and short period. Not worth suiting up.

Then, Thursday the 20th of August, we get a little bump. Morning shows 3 ft from the east with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 106 – that’s moderate energy now. But it’s still poor surf with a fresh cross-offshore wind from the SE at 19 mph. It’s clean-ish, but the size is tiny and the direction isn’t right for Californias, which wants swell from the north. This is the closest thing to a highlight, and it’s a weak one.

After that, it’s a wasteland. Friday the 21st drops to 0.3 ft, and from Saturday the 22nd through to Tuesday the 25th of August, it’s either tiny or flat – literally zero swell on the 24th and 25th, with gale-force winds up to 53 mph. Forget it.

Wednesday the 26th to Friday the 28th of August, some 2 ft to 3 ft east swell returns with periods around 9–10 seconds, and energy hits 129 on the 27th morning, but it’s totally blown out by severe gale cross-onshore and onshore winds. Rubbish.

Best on offer? It’s bleak, but if you’re desperate, Thursday the 20th of August morning is your only shot – 3 ft east swell, 9-second period, moderate energy (106), and reasonably clean despite the cross-offshore wind. Don’t expect much.

Bottom line: a long, flat run. Stay patient, check back – forecasts can change.

Rusty

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