Jalama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Overall, the outlook for the region is pretty quiet. We’ve got a long stretch of marginal conditions ahead, with only one real standout window that’s worth getting excited about.

We start off now, and honestly, the first week is a bit of a write-off. From Wednesday the 26th of August right through to Tuesday the 1st of September, the surf is small, the swell is a mix of short-period windswell and weak, inconsistent pulses, and the winds are mostly cross or cross-offshore. The combined wave energy is moderate at best, sitting around 800 to 1000 units, but the quality just isn’t there. The swell heights are mostly between 3 ft and 4 ft, with a brief bump of 6 ft on Thursday morning the 27th, but that’s a short-period 8-second NW windswell with cross-onshore winds, so it’s choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out for.

The only glimmer of hope in that first week is a windswell bump on Sunday the 30th of August, with swell heights of 7 ft from the NW, but it’s still short-period (8 seconds) and the wind is cross to cross-off. The combined energy is strong (around 1076 units), but the wave quality is poor. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a surfable wave, especially for a beach break like Jalama.

Now, the real standout. Mark your calendars for Wednesday the 2nd of September. The morning session is hands down the best on offer in the whole 16-day window. The wind goes glassy, with a light southerly breeze of 3 mph, and the swell is a clean 5 ft from the south at 12 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (765 units), but the glassy conditions will make it smooth and clean. This is a call for the advanced crew – Jalama is an exposed break, and with the swell coming from the south-southwest (which is close to the optimum direction), it should line up nicely. The water temperature is around 63°, which is about normal for this time of year, so a spring suit will do.

After that Wednesday morning window, the conditions drop off again. Thursday the 3rd of September brings a bigger swell (6 ft from the south, 13 seconds) with a combined energy of 1349 units, but the wind turns cross-onshore, so it’ll be lumpy. The rest of the second week, from the 4th of September onward, is a slow fade. Swell heights drop back to under 4 ft, the periods are inconsistent, and the winds stay cross or cross-offshore. The combined energy weakens to around 300 to 800 units, and the wave comments are all poor or marginal. There’s a small pulse of 3 ft to 4 ft from the south-southwest around the 9th and 10th of September, but it’s nothing to change your plans for.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a bust. The only day you really want to be in the water is Wednesday the 2nd of September, early. After that, it’s a long, quiet run. The forecast can always change, but for now, that’s the story.

Rusty.

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