Cartagena - Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s gonna be a long, flat spell for a while. The first few days are showing nothing but zeros across the board. We’re looking at a dry run from Sunday the 23rd of August all the way through to the end of the month. That’s a solid week-plus with no real surf to speak of at Cartagena - Jetty. The wind is blowing around, mostly light to moderate, but without any swell to work with, it’s just a lake out there. The water temp is sitting at a warm 86°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than usual for this time of year, so if you’re just keen for a swim, it’s lovely. But for surfing? Nothing doing.

We finally get a little flicker of life on Friday the 28th of August, in the afternoon. A tiny 0.3ft bump from the north with a period of 14 seconds and very weak energy (4) shows up, but it’s accompanied by a 9 mph onshore wind. That’s not going to be worth paddling out for. The next morning, Saturday the 29th, has a clean offshore breeze but still no swell on the cards.

The first real chance to get wet comes on Thursday the 3rd of September. The morning shows a small 2ft swell from the NNE, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s gonna be weak and choppy. The energy is low at 40. There’s a cross-offshore wind, which keeps things clean, but the wave quality is rated as poor. It’s barely surfable, so don’t get your hopes up.

Then, finally, on Monday the 7th of September, we get our best shot. The morning session shows a 3ft swell from the NNE, with a slightly better period of 7 seconds and energy of 82. The wind is light and offshore from the SSW, so the conditions will be clean. The wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and I’d agree. It’s not going to be a classic, but it’s the only window in the whole 16-day forecast where you can actually paddle out and ride something. The swell is tiny, so it’s fine for beginners, and the offshore wind is a big plus for keeping the surface smooth. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might have a few others out, but it won’t be a zoo.

The afternoon of the 7th sees the wind swing onshore from the NW, so that morning window is the one to target. After that, the forecast runs out of data, so we’re back to hoping.

So, to sum it up: the standout is the morning of Monday the 7th of September at Cartagena - Jetty. It’s the only real chance. Don’t expect much, but if you’re desperate, that’s your moment.

Rusty.

Read more