8th Street Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let's talk about 8th Street Jetty in proper units.

It's a grim stretch ahead. The swell is tiny, and the energy is weak for the entire 16-day run. The combined swell energy barely touches 92 on the 17th of September afternoon, so we're talking weak, weak, weak. There are no standout days. It's a long haul of poor surf conditions.

Starting with Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th of September, it's a total bust. Waves at 0.7ft to 2ft with poor winds and onshore chop. Not worth getting wet. The energy is pathetic (10 to 42), and the period is short, so the waves will be weak and crumbly.

The following week, from the 7th through the 15th of September, it's more of the same. The swell height occasionally bumps up to 2ft or 2ft, but the period stays short (4 to 10 seconds), and the energy is still low (9 to 83). The wind does swing offshore at times, like on Tuesday the 8th morning with a light WNW breeze and again on Thursday the 10th morning and afternoon with a moderate WNW. Those periods will be clean, but with waves that small, you're just bobbing around. The water temperature is about average for the time of year.

We see a small pulse of energy around Wednesday the 16th of September, with swell heights hitting 2ft to 2ft and the energy rising to 83 on the 17th. The period improves to 9 seconds by the 17th afternoon, which is a little better. But the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, so expect bumpy conditions.

The last few days, from the 18th to the 20th of September, show a slight improvement. Friday the 18th morning has a light NW offshore breeze and clean conditions with 2ft swell from the ESE. The energy is still modest at 57. Saturday the 19th also looks clean with a cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is a mixed bag of 2ft from the ENE and E. The period drops to a shocking 4 seconds on the 19th morning, meaning it'll be messy and weak. Sunday the 20th morning shows a clean, cross-offshore wind and a 1ft swell from the SE with an 11-second period. That long period will give some longer lulls between sets, but with such little height, it's barely a ripple.

If you're desperate for a paddle, the best of a bad bunch is probably Friday the 18th morning at 8th Street Jetty. It's clean with a light offshore breeze and a 2ft swell from the ESE. But even then, it's a beginner's wave at best. The rest of the period is a write-off for any decent surfing.

Rusty.

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