Jacks Hole Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s cut to the chase: this 16-day stretch at Jacks Hole is a total bust. We’re staring down a long, flat spell with barely a ripple to show for it. What little bumps appear are weak, short-period, and ugly. It’s one of those periods where the ocean just takes a nap.

The run starts on Thursday, July 30th, with a tiny 0.3ft south swell. The morning is glassy, but the combined energy is a measly 1 — it’s flat calm, not surfable. The afternoon goes onshore and messy.

Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st are dead flat. Zero energy. Glassy mornings, but you’d be floating on a pond. A few days of nothing.

Sunday the 2nd teases a 1ft, 3-second bump from the NNE, but with onshore wind and cross-chop, it’s not worth a look. The energy stays at 1.

Monday the 3rd of August is the first real hint. A 2ft, 4-second NE swell with a cross wind. The combined energy climbs to 8, but it’s still weak. The morning is the cleanest, with a gentle cross-shore, but the waves are tiny and gutless. The afternoon gets choppy.

Tuesday the 4th sees a bump to 3ft from the ENE, period still at 4 seconds. Energy hits 27 in the morning, 34 in the afternoon. The wind is cross or cross-on, making for a bumpy surface. The swell is just too small and short to wrap into the reef with any punch.

Wednesday the 5th is the best of a bad lot, but don’t get your hopes up. The morning shows a 3ft, 5-second ENE swell, with a cross wind. The combined energy is 43 — the highest of the whole run. It’s the only day the swell breaks the 3ft mark. The period is short, so it’ll be crumbly and weak, but the cross wind keeps it from being totally blown out. This is the one slim window for a desperate paddle. The afternoon gets hit with a fresh 30 km/h cross wind, turning it lumpy and ugly.

After that, Thursday the 6th through the 14th of August is a slow, sad slide back into tiny, weak, and often choppy conditions. Swells flicker between 0.3ft and 3ft, periods are all under 6 seconds except for a couple of 12-second pulses on the 9th, but those are mere 0.3ft of energy. The combined energy rarely breaks 20, and the wind is onshore or strong cross-shore for most of it. The 9th of August has a 0.3ft, 12-second south swell, but with 30 km/h winds, it’s just a bump on a windy lake.

The last few days, the 12th to the 14th, are flat again or just a 0.3ft ripple. Nothing to chase.

For a reef break like Jacks Hole, you need a decent window of clean, decent-sized swell. This is a 16-day drought. The only day that even smells like a wave is Wednesday the 5th of August, and even then, it’s a short-period, weak, beginner-level bump. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Look, it’s a poor run. On those windy, choppy days with a little bump, the setup looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle. But forecasts can change, and the ocean can flip on a dime. For now, I’d leave the board at home and check back in a few days.

Rusty.

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