8th Street Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Rusty here, and I’ll be honest with you—this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at the next couple of weeks at 8th Street Jetty, and it’s a real waiting game. The surf is tiny for the vast majority of the period, and the conditions are often messy. There’s a long, dry spell right from the start, with nothing worth paddling out for until we get deep into the second week.

The water temperature is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 77°F—that’s about 4°F above the usual, so it’s notable.

The first real hint of something happening doesn’t arrive until Saturday the 5th of September. The morning is clean with a cross-offshore wind and a 3ft swell from the east, but the energy is still just moderate (109). By the afternoon, things get a bit more interesting. The wind swings offshore—clean, moderate breeze—and the swell holds at 3ft from the east, period stretching to 9 seconds. The combined energy climbs to 128 (moderate), and the wave comment shifts to “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best we’ve got, but it’s still not a standout. It’s small, and the swell direction is east, not the optimum northeast for this spot.

After that, Sunday the 6th brings a messy mix. The morning has a clean 2ft east swell (112 energy), but the afternoon throws a 4ft short-period south swell (5 seconds, 134 energy) with clean cross-offshore wind. That larger swell is from the south, which isn’t ideal for the jetty, and the short period means it’ll be weak and crumbly. Not a good bet.

The rest of the week into the 10th stays small, with clean conditions but nothing over 3ft and very low energy. The best of the whole window is a toss-up between the Saturday the 5th afternoon and Thursday the 10th afternoon. Both have clean offshore wind and moderate energy, but the swell is small and not from the right direction. The 10th has a 3ft swell from the east-northeast (91 energy), which is closer to the optimum, but it’s still not enough to get excited about.

Honestly, there’s no standout session here. The entire 16-day window is a struggle for decent surf. The few clean windows are too small to really enjoy. It’s a real bummer, but it won’t stay this way forever—forecasts change. Keep an eye on it, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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