Jailbreaks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, listen up. I’m looking at the charts for Jailbreaks, and it’s a reef break for the advanced lads, and it’s been fairly consistent. The water temp is a warm 84°, which is about 0.5° above normal for this time of year – just a bit of summer warmth still.

The start is a bummer. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are pretty much dead. You’ll see a little 3ft to 4ft bump from the south, but the wind is a cross-off, and the wave comment says it’s marginal. The swell energy is weak to moderate (509 to 173), and it’s not worth paddling out for. There’s a real gap of nothing here.

Then Monday the 24th shows a little pulse. Morning brings a clean 3ft from the SSE with a moderate offshore wind out of the SW. The energy is moderate (229), and the wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” It’s small, but it’s clean. Tuesday the 25th is similar, with a cross-off wind and 3ft to 4ft, so it’s a bit messy.

Now, Wednesday the 26th is where we get some hope. The morning has a 3ft swell from the SW with a long period of 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The wind is light, and the energy is solidly moderate (481). It’s clean and the comment says “expect good surf conditions.” This is a good sign for a reef break.

But the real standout is Thursday the 27th. Morning sees a 5ft swell from the SSW with a 16-second period. The energy jumps to a strong 1205, and the wave comment says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” The wind is a gentle cross-off, so it’s clean. That’s the best day of the first week, no question.

Friday the 28th is still good, with a clean 4ft in the morning, but the energy drops. Then we hit a lull again on Saturday the 29th.

Now, for the long-range stuff, keep your eyes on the last few days of August and into September. Sunday the 30th has a massive 6ft to 7ft swell from the SSW with a crazy long period of 19 seconds. The energy is very strong (2391 to 3199), but the wind is a cross-off and the wave comment is “marginal.” That size and period at a reef is only for the experts. Monday the 31st is similar, with 6ft from the SW, and massive energy (4154). It’s big, but it’s not the cleanest.

The real promise for the second week is Wednesday the 2nd of September onwards. The afternoon sees a 4ft swell from the SSW with a moderate offshore wind, and the energy is moderate (845). The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are even better. Thursday has 5ft from the SSE with offshore winds all day, and the wave comment is “very good.” Friday the 4th is the sleeper hit: morning has a 5ft from the S with a 3 mph offshore wind – that’s near glassy. The energy is moderate (524), and the wave comment says “very good.”

Then Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th are the true beauties. Saturday afternoon has a 4ft from the SSE with glassy conditions. Sunday the 6th is dead calm, zero wind, glassy, and a clean 5ft from the SSE. That’s the stuff of dreams.

So, my pick of the whole 16 days is Thursday the 27th for the big, powerful swell, but if you want absolute perfection, Sunday the 6th of September is your day. Get in the water.

Rusty.

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