Californias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Right then, let’s have a proper look at what we’ve got on the cards for Californias over the next couple of weeks. First up, I’ll tell you straight: the water’s sitting at a warm 84°F with barely any temperature anomaly, so it’s pretty standard for this time of year. Now, the ocean is going to be a bit of a letdown for the next week and a half. The wind is mostly cross or cross-off, but it’s fresh a lot of the time, and the swell’s coming from the NNW and N, which isn’t really any good for this spot. The surf is going to be blown out and messy, with lumps and chop on Tuesday, and despite the size around 5ft to 7ft, there’s no quality in it. Wednesday is similar – 5ft from the N but still with a biting 30 km/h wind, it’s just not going to be clean enough to make you want to paddle out. We’re looking at a big gap of days with no good rides here.

Thursday the 10th starts to show a tiny glimmer. The swell drops slightly to 5ft to 6ft from the N, and the wind eases off to a gentle 15 km/h. It’s still cross-off, but the afternoon looks a bit better, with a score that hints at something rideable. But honestly, it’s still pretty average, just a few clean-ish waves if you’re desperate. Friday and Saturday are back to being poor – the wind is fine, but the swell starts to shrink, and the energy just isn’t there.

The real change comes on Monday the 14th. The wind turns offshore from the ENE at 20 km/h, and the swell starts to build again. Monday afternoon sees the swell jump to 4ft from the E, with the period stretching out to 9 seconds and the energy picking up to 292. It’s still not massive, but it’s clean and offshore. Then Tuesday the 15th is a bit more ordinary, but Wednesday the 16th keeps the offshore flow and the waves are surfable, even if they’re not world-beaters.

Now, the standout. And I mean the only real standout of the whole forecast. September 22nd, early in the morning. The swell from the E hits 5ft, but the period is a massive 16 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, with the combined energy jumping to 1344 – that’s strong, powerful water. The wind is light offshore from the N at 15 km/h, so it will be clean. This is the one you want to be in the water for. The next morning, September 23rd, is also worth a look – the wind drops to glassy, 5 km/h from the E, and while the swell is smaller at 3ft, the period is still a solid 13 seconds with clean energy. It’s a promising, long-period pulse that will have some push to it.

So basically, my call is to wait for that Monday the 22nd. That’s the day the ocean finally wakes up. Before that, it’s a grind. The wind and the swell just aren’t lining up right, and there are gaps of three or four days where you might as well leave the board at home. Keep an eye on that long-period groundswell – that’s our best bet for a proper session.

Catch you in the water.

Rusty.

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