Crouching Lion Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this outlook straight, folks. Rusty here.

Looking at the whole 16-day window, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch for Crouching Lion. The surfable energy is there at times, but the wind just won’t play nice. Almost every day has a cross-onshore breeze messing things up, so the quality is going to suffer. There are no real standouts here; this is a period where you’re better off waiting for a change in the charts.

We start on Sunday afternoon, September 13th, at Crouching Lion, a point break that’s inconsistent and best for intermediates. The water temp is sitting at 81°, which is normal for this time of year. The swell is small at 3ft from the NE with a short period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy is weak (178). But the main problem is the 6 mph ENE cross-onshore wind – it’s light, but it’s onshore enough to create small wind ripples and kill the quality. The score says it all: poor surf.

This pattern just repeats. Monday the 14th has similar small NE swell (3ft to 4ft), but the wind picks up to 9 mph, making it choppy. Tuesday the 15th is even smaller, with a 12-second period swell on the afternoon but only 1ft – not enough to care about. Wednesday the 16th bumps up to 4ft–5ft from the ENE, but now the wind is 16 mph, so it’s just messy.

The size builds through the week, but the wind stays bad. On Thursday the 17th, we’ve got 7ft–7ft ENE swell with a 7-second period (short and weak) and 19 mph cross-onshore winds. That’s lumpy, stormy, and just not fun. The energy is getting moderate (389–486), but you can’t enjoy it. This continues right through to the end of the first week.

By the second week, the swell actually gets bigger. On Wednesday, September 23rd, we see 7ft to 8ft E swell with periods stretching to 10–11 seconds. The combined energy jumps to strong levels (996–1317). This is the biggest swell of the window, but again, the wind is cross-onshore at 16 mph. The setup is a point break, so a long-period groundswell from the east could wrap in nicely, but it’s being torn apart by the wind. It’s raw power without the polish – only for experts if you’re desperate. For anyone else, it’s a pass.

The final few days drift off. Saturday the 26th has a weird spike of 2ft from the NW with an 18-second period (very long period) and a combined energy of 439, but the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore. That’s just frustrating. After that, the size fades again into the 4ft–6ft range with the same old onshore breeze.

Truth is, there isn’t a single session in this 16-day stretch where the wind and swell line up. Crouching Lion is inconsistent anyway, so having a blank run like this isn’t totally unusual for the area. If you’re a kitesurfer, then some of those days with 16–19 mph cross-onshore winds and decent sized chop might look fun, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a hard no.

Keep an eye on it – forecasts change. But right now, I’d find something else to do.

Rusty.

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