8th Street Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’m calling it like it is: our local lineup is in a real slump. We’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak waves and messy wind. This is one of those periods where you’ll be checking the forecast more than the water. The few times there’s a little bump, the conditions are against it.

We start on Thursday, July 30th, with a hopeless 0.3ft easterly windswell, a 6-second period, and barely any energy (1). The morning has a 20 km/h northwest offshore breeze, so it’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride. The afternoon gets a 1ft northeast swell, but the wind swings cross-shore and the period drops to 5 seconds. Friday, July 31st, morning is glassy with a 0.3ft east-northeast swell, 5-second period, and a 5 km/h west-northwest breeze. Energy is 6. It’s clean, but you’d be doing more floating than surfing. The afternoon gets a 6-second period, but 15 km/h south cross-onshore winds ruin it.

The weekend is a washout. Saturday, August 1st, has 0.3ft swell with a 9-second period, but 20 km/h onshore wind in the afternoon and energy of just 3 to 5. Sunday, August 2nd, has a 2ft south swell, but the period is a short 4 seconds, the wind is cross-onshore at 20 km/h, and the energy is only 22. It’s choppy and lumpy. Monday, August 3rd, has a risk of thunderstorms and 30 km/h winds with zero swell.

We get a couple of clean, small windows later. Wednesday, August 5th, morning has a 2ft southeast swell, 7-second period, with a nice 15 km/h west-southwest cross-offshore breeze and clean conditions. Energy is 24. It’s rideable for a longboard. Thursday, August 6th, morning is similar: 1ft southeast swell, 7-second period, light 10 km/h west-northwest cross-offshore wind, clean. Energy is 13. These are the best of the lot, but it’s strictly for the low-expectation session.

Then it’s a long, dry gap. From Friday, August 7th, to Tuesday, August 11th, it’s all tiny 0.3ft to 2ft swells with poor cross-onshore winds. The energy never gets above 38. The water temp on July 30th was 75°F, which is about average for this time of year.

The only real standout is Wednesday, August 12th. The morning shows a 3ft east swell with a 4-second period and a light 10 km/h north-northeast cross-offshore breeze. The combined energy is 28. It’s clean, but the period is so short it’s just a mushy closeout. The afternoon holds the same size but the wind swings cross-onshore. For a beach/jetty setup like 8th Street Jetty, this is really more of a kite-surfing situation than a paddle-surfing one. The best morning for a clean, tiny ride is probably Thursday, August 6th, but even that’s a stretch.

So, bottom line: the 16-day window has almost no surf worth paddling out for. The breaks are very consistent, but the swell is not. It’s a quiet, flat spell, and that’s just how it goes here sometimes. Keep your eyes on the horizon, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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