1st Parking Lot Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s switch to feet and inches for the non-metric crew.

First up, I gotta be straight with you – if you’re looking for a proper surf over the next week or so, you’re gonna be staring at a lot of flat, choppy, or blown-out junk. The whole stretch from now through to about Wednesday the 23rd is pretty much a write-off. We’re talking days on end of barely any swell, and when there is a bump, the winds are all wrong – mostly onshore or cross-on, keeping things messy. It’s a rough patch.

Now, let’s talk about 1st Parking Lot, our only break on the menu. The water temp is sitting at 75°F, which is a whopping 5°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a real standout, you’ll be sweating in your wetsuit, if you even need one.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Thursday the 24th. The morning session is just “surfable” with waves around 4ft from the E, but the wind swings offshore from the WSW, so it’ll be clean. The combined energy is weak (173), so don’t expect power, but at least you can get a few grovelly ones. The real highlight, though, is Thursday afternoon. The wind switches to a light cross-off from the SSW, that swell bumps up to about 5ft from the ESE, and the energy jumps to a moderate 295. It’s still not huge, but it’s the cleanest we’ve seen in ages. You’ll get some fun, weakish walls.

Friday the 25th morning is the best of the whole outlook. The swell holds at about 5ft from the ESE, period stretches to 10 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy starting to show. Combined energy hits a solid 492. Winds are light cross-off from the SSW, keeping it clean. It’s still a beach and jetty setup, and that long period (10 secs) can make things a bit straighter here, but with the offshore wind, it’ll have some shape. Friday afternoon, the wind turns cross-on and the quality drops, so the morning is your window.

After that, it fades again. Saturday the 26th has waves around 4ft but the wind is onshore, making it choppy and ordinary, though there’s a brief glassy moment in the afternoon – but the swell is pretty weak by then.

So, bottom line: If you’re keen, wait for Thursday afternoon the 24th or, better yet, Friday morning the 25th. That Friday morning is the standout – the best combo of size, wind, and energy in this whole 16-day span. Crowds are “often” here, and with it being the only decent window, expect the lot to be pretty busy.

Rusty

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