Carola Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s be real. I’ve been looking at this forecast for a while, and I gotta tell you straight — it’s a rough run for Carola. We’re looking at a 16-day window that’s basically a flat spell, with barely a ripple worth paddling for. The water temperature is sitting at 79°F, which is about 9°F warmer than normal — that’s way out of the ordinary, so you’ll be warm in the water, but there’s no push from the ocean to back it up.

Right from the start, Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are a write-off with zero to tiny swell. The combined wave energy is basically nothing — 0 or 20 or 25 — and the wind is cross-shore, making it messy. Monday the 20th is more of the same: tiny 1ft to 0.7ft waves with a period that’s all over the place, but the energy is weak (13 to 49). Not worth suiting up.

Tuesday the 21st morning sees a bit of a cleaner look with a cross-offshore wind, but the swell is still only 1ft from the north with a short 8-second period, and energy is a measly 12. It’s a tease. The rest of the week through to Friday the 24th is flat or close to it — just zeros and tiny numbers. The wind stays clean occasionally, but there’s nothing to ride.

The weekend of the 25th and 26th? Still poor. Saturday morning sees a tiny 1ft NNE swell with a short 8-second period, energy of 24 — that’s weak, weak, weak. The wind is light cross-shore, but you’d be fighting for scraps. Sunday the 26th is flat again.

Into the second week, Monday the 27th has a small 1ft north swell with 8-second period, energy 12 — still poor. Tuesday the 28th brings a bit of a longer period (12 seconds) but only 0.7ft from the NNW, with energy up to 18. That’s a long-period groundswell, but it’s so small it’s barely a ripple. Great for a point break maybe, but here it’s just not enough.

Wednesday the 29th through Friday the 31st stays tiny, with the occasional 0.3ft to 0.7ft from the NW, periods around 11-12 seconds, but the energy is in the single digits (5 to 17). The wind is clean at times, but the swell is just not there.

The last days into August 1st and 2nd? Saturday the 1st is flat. Sunday the 2nd sees a 1ft NW swell with a 12-second period and energy of 21 — still tiny, and the wind is fresh cross-offshore, but it’s too small for anything decent.

Bottom line: there’s no standout swell in this entire 16-day window. Every single wave is either below 2ft or flat, with weak energy (all under 100). The best you could hope for is a tiny, clean, knee-high ripple on a few mornings, but that’s not surfing. If you’re desperate, the Tuesday the 28th morning has a clean look with the longest period (12 seconds) and a little bit of energy, but it’s still just 0.7ft. Honestly, this is a kite-surfing setup more than a paddle-surfing one — the wind is consistent and cross-shore, but the swell is a no-show.

Don’t get too down, though. This area tends to have these flat runs, and it never stays poor forever. Forecasts can change. But for now, I’d say leave the boards on the rack and wait for the next pulse.

Rusty.

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