Jalama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gonna give you the straight-up word on the surf for this stretch.

We’re looking at a pretty lackluster run for the most part, with a couple of real wildcards right at the very end of the forecast. The early days are a bit of a grind, with small, grovelly surf and mostly cross-shore winds messing with the shape. The water temp is sitting around 64°F, which is just about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real chance to paddle out isn't until Monday the 7th of September. Even then, it’s more of a chore than a pleasure. Monday morning sees a 5ft southwest swell, but it’s riding a 9 mph west-northwest cross-shore, so expect a bit of chop on the face. The energy is moderate (1039). It’s a tough one to get excited about. By Tuesday the 8th, the swell drops to 4ft, but we get a clean look with the wind going cross-offshore from the northwest. It’s small, but it might be the cleanest wave of the first week if you’re on a longboard. The energy drops to 662.

The surf really fades after that. Wednesday the 9th through Sunday the 14th sees a mix of tiny SSW and SW swells, barely cracking 3ft, and a lot of those days are blown out by cross-shore winds. The energy figures are all in the low hundreds, which is weak. Saturday the 12th sees a jump in size to 8ft, but it’s a short-period NW windswell at 8 seconds. That’s going to be a lumpy, messy wall of whitewater. By Sunday afternoon the 13th, the swell hits 10ft, and the wind is clean cross-off from the NNW, but that’s just too much juice for Jalama. It’s a big, powerful, and dangerous sea. The energy is strong (1238). That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s a heavy paddle.

The pattern continues with inconsistent, small surf through the middle of the month. We get a few days of 7ft - 8ft NW windswell from the 14th to the 16th, but the period is a dismal 8 seconds, and the winds are mostly cross-shore. It’s a lot of whitewater with no real shape. The 17th through the 21st is back to knee-high, weak SW groundswell with long periods (15-19 seconds), but the energy is weak and the winds are trying to ruin it.

Now, the two standouts are at the far end of the forecast, and they’re promising but not a sure thing. On Tuesday the 22nd of September, we get a legit pulse. A 6ft WNW swell with a 12-second period rolls in. The combined energy is a solid 1450, which is strong. The wind is light from the SSE, so it’ll be a bit onshore, but at 6 mph it’s not going to trash it. That’s the best-looking combo of size, period, and light wind we’ve seen. It’s a setup that could offer some proper, lined-up waves at Jalama. The Tuesday afternoon looks even better for size, with a 7ft WNW swell (1645 energy) and a light cross-shore breeze. That’s the pick of the entire forecast. Mark the 22nd on your calendar.

For the rest of it, the long-period groundswells we get in the second week are better suited for a point or reef, but here at Jalama, the beach break will probably see them closing out or running straight. The crowds are a factor here, and with the spot being "sometimes" crowded, you’ll want to be early.

Bottom line: the first week is a write-off for anything decent. The second week is a slow, lumpy grind until the 22nd, which looks like a real winner. If you’re itching for a paddle, the Tuesday morning of the 8th offers the cleanest small-wave conditions. Otherwise, wait for that 22nd.

Rusty.

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