Dunes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, talking in feet and miles per hour now.

So the pattern at Dunes over the next 16 days is a bit all over the place, but there are some real gems if you time it right. Swell hangs mainly from the southwest and west-southwest, with wave energy moderate at first then jumping into strong territory late August into early September. Water temp is about 75°, running about 2° warmer than normal, so pretty pleasant for a dip.

Saturday the 22nd afternoon is a mess. Cross-shore wind and only about 4ft swell, rough conditions. Sunday the 23rd isn't great either. The morning is clean but only marginal surf – not worth paddling out for.

Monday the 24th morning is where it starts to turn. Clean conditions with an offshore breeze, about 3ft from the west-southwest, energy at 652 (moderate). Small but tidy. Afternoon gets lumpy with cross-shore wind, so get your session in early.

Tuesday the 25th morning is clean again with an offshore breeze, 4ft southwest swell, moderate energy (452). The afternoon is poor, light cross-onshore and ripply, so skip it.

Wednesday the 26th morning is clean with a cross-offshore, 3ft swell. Afternoon turns ugly with a moderate cross-onshore and chop.

Now the first real standout: Thursday the 27th morning. Swell jumps to 6ft from the west-southwest, with a 17-second period – that’s long-period groundswell. Combined energy hits 1995 (strong). It’s clean with a cross-offshore breeze, but this size is for experienced surfers only. Afternoon is still big but gets cross-shore and messy.

Friday the 28th morning has 5ft swell and clean conditions, but it’s marginal. Afternoon is smaller and cleaner but still not firing.

Saturday the 29th morning is a nice little session – only 3ft but with a light cross-offshore breeze and clean. Fun for a small board. Afternoon gets trashed by cross-onshore wind.

Sunday the 30th morning is glassy! Almost no wind from the west, 3ft of long-period swell at 16 seconds, energy 445. Clean but expect longer lulls between sets. Afternoon gets a little bumpy.

Now here’s the best of the run: Monday the 31st morning. Swell is 4ft from the west-southwest with a 16-second period, light offshore from the south-southeast, energy at 1311 (strong). Clean conditions. This is excellent for experienced surfers. Afternoon gets bigger at 5ft but onshore wind ruins it.

Tuesday the 1st September morning is also a standout. 6ft west-southwest swell, 17 seconds, light offshore from the southeast, energy 1659 (strong). Clean and powerful. This is for the crew who know what they’re doing. Afternoon gets choppy again.

Wednesday the 2nd September morning is still decent – 4ft with a gentle offshore, clean, energy 898 (moderate). Worth a paddle if you missed the earlier windows. Afternoon gets messy.

From Thursday the 3rd through the 6th, it’s mostly poor. Winds pick up, swell drops to around 3ft, and most sessions are choppy or cross-shore and lumpy. Sunday the 6th has some size (5ft, 16 seconds, energy 1102) but the wind is fresh cross-shore and conditions are poor.

So bottom line: the real highlights are Monday 31st August morning and Tuesday 1st September morning. Solid groundswell, offshore winds, strong energy, and clean. That’s your window. The rest has a few moments but you gotta pick your times.

Rusty.

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