Jacks Hole Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s get straight into this one. We’re looking at a 16-day window for Jacks Hole, and I gotta be honest with you—it’s a real tough stretch. There’s a long, bleak gap at the start, and only a few brief moments where things might line up for a session. This is a reef setup, so when it’s on, it can be special, but we’re gonna have to wait for it.

The first real sign of life doesn’t show up until Saturday, 29th August. Through the early part of the window, we’ve got a whole lot of nothing—tiny scraps of swell and poor wind conditions. It’s a dry spell lasting about three days. Then, on Saturday afternoon, the wind finally swings offshore out of the west at 15 mph, and the swell picks up to 5 ft from the south, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to a solid 403 (moderate wave energy), and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s the standout moment. It’s a moderate offshore breeze, so the waves should be clean. That south swell is a good match for the optimum direction. But look, at 5 ft on a reef, this is solidly for advanced surfers—beginners should sit this one out. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

After that Saturday high point, it’s a quick fade. The rest of the run is a mix of onshore crud and tiny swell. There’s a little glassy moment on Friday 4th September morning, but the swell is only 2 ft from the south with a short period of 4 seconds—barely enough to stand up on.

Then, on Sunday 6th September, the swell kicks up again to 8 ft from the SSE, with a period of 6 seconds and a combined energy of 413 (moderate to strong). That’s a lot of water, but the wind is cross-shore at 15 mph, and the conditions are described as “poor surf conditions.” That’s a messy, choppy situation. Over 8 ft is expert-only, and this is close—8 ft with a short period is a bumpy, challenging beast. For paddle surfing, it’s a miss. Honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than a traditional paddle session.

So, the big picture: there’s one true standout on the Saturday afternoon of the 29th August. Everything else is a wait-and-see or a straight-up skip. The long gaps are normal for this area when the swell windows don’t align.

Rusty

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