Florence-North Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for the Florence-North Jetty area over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the forecast is looking pretty grim for a solid stretch. The surf is small, the wind is mostly wrong, and the conditions are just plain ugly. We're looking at a long run of poor surf from the start all the way through to the first week of August. The jetty is consistently exposed to the swell, but it's not doing us any favours right now. The water temperature is sitting at a chilly 57°, which is about 0.6° colder than normal for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

We start on Wednesday the 29th of July. There's a small 3 ft swell from the southwest with a long 16-second period, and the combined energy is weak at 544. But that wind is blowing straight onshore from the northwest at 12 mph, making it a total mess. Forget about it. Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st are more of the same – onshore wind, small, weak swell. The surf is just not happening.

Heading into the weekend, Saturday the 1st of August shows a tiny bit of hope with a 3 ft swell from the west-northwest, but the period drops to a short 8 seconds. The wind finally goes cross-shore from the southwest at just 3 mph, which is a light breeze, but the wave comment calls it "marginal." It's a sandbar break that's fairly consistent, but with this short period and weak energy (215), it's barely worth a paddle. Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd see the swell bumping up to 5 ft and 5 ft, but the wind is back onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave energy is still moderate at best. The comment keeps saying "poor surf conditions."

The same story continues through the first week of August. Swell heights climb to 6 ft and 7 ft, and the energy gets stronger, hitting 592 on the 5th, but the wind is relentless from the north-northwest, either onshore or cross-onshore. Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th have that fresh cross-onshore breeze making it lumpy and choppy. It's not surfable.

Now, there's a brief flash on Thursday morning, the 6th of August. The swell jumps to 8 ft from the northwest with a 9-second period, and the combined energy hits a strong 1029. The wind is onshore from the northwest at 9 mph, but the comment still says "marginal." For a beginner spot, 8 ft is definitely too big. The rest of that day and the next day, the 7th, the swell crashes down to 1 ft and 1 ft with very long 18-second periods, but the energy is weak (62 and 77). Not worth it.

The following week from the 8th to the 13th of August is more of the same: onshore or cross-onshore wind, poor conditions, and a mix of small to moderate swell. The energy is moderate, peaking around 795 on the 9th, but the wind kills it. Saturday the 8th has a 7 ft swell from the northwest with a 9-second period and 718 energy, but the wind is onshore.

Honestly, looking at this 16-day window, there's no standout session. The wind is bad, the swell is either too small, too short period, or blown out. The only time the conditions look even slightly interesting is that Saturday morning, August 1st, with the light cross-shore wind, but even then it's just marginal. This is a tough run for the North Jetty. It's a consistent spot, but when the wind and swell don't line up, you're just staring at the horizon.

Rusty out.

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