Jalama Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with the skinny on the surf for the next couple of weeks.

Gotta be honest, this is a lean stretch for Jalama. The whole 16-day window is full of "marginal" calls, and the first real invite doesn't come until the end of the month. We’re looking at a long, dry spell of messy, cross-shore wind and weak, short-period junk.

The standout, and really the only window worth paddling for, is the last couple of days of the first week and into the second.

Thursday, July 30th morning is the pick of the bunch. The swell is a solid 7ft from the NW, but the period is a short 8 seconds. That’s windswell, not groundswell, so it’ll be a bit crumbly. The combined energy is moderate (1328), but the real plus is the wind. A light 6 mph breeze from the west is just a touch onshore, but light enough to keep things from getting totally blown out. It’s going to be a bit lumpy, but for a spot that’s been struggling, it’s the best wave on offer. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

Friday afternoon, July 31st, the swell drops to 5ft from the S, with a better period of 13 seconds. That’s a nice, long-period groundswell, but the cross-shore wind from the NNW at 16 mph will be an issue. The energy is a moderate 1052. It’s a cleaner-looking wave, but the wind will be trying to mess it up.

Saturday morning, August 1st, the swell is 4ft from the S, period 12 seconds. Energy is dropping to 909. The cross-shore wind is still there, making it a tough call.

Sunday, August 2nd, we see a jump back to 7ft from the NW, but again, a short 9-second period. The afternoon has a cross-offshore wind from the NNW at 19 mph, which is a fresh breeze, so the surface will be clean, but that’s a lot of wind. The energy is moderate (902). This is more of a windsurfing or kiting setup than a pure paddle wave. The swell is too big and short-period for beginners, and the strong wind will make it a battle.

After that, the second week (from August 3rd onward) is a real letdown. The swell holds around 5-7ft, but the wind is almost always cross or onshore, and the period is short. It’s a lot of whitewash and chop. The energy numbers are moderate (around 500-800), but the quality is poor. By August 9th and 10th, the swell drops to under 3ft, and the energy is weak (around 500-600). It’s a flat spell.

So, in summary: don’t get your hopes up for anything epic. The best bet is Thursday morning, July 30th, for a bit of a lumpy, 7ft NW windswell under light winds. After that, Sunday the 2nd might have some clean but windy 7ft sets. The rest of the run is a write-off for quality surf. The forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a lean couple of weeks.

Rusty, signing off.

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