Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Frankly, it’s been a flat, quiet run and it’s going to stay that way for a while. The first real sign of life doesn't show up until Monday, August 17th, and even then it’s nothing to write home about. We’ve got a solid 4 days with pretty much nothing worth paddling out for right off the bat.

The water is sitting at a balmy 76°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least a dip won't be a shock to the system.

The only spot with any chance of a wave is Jetty. It's a breakwater setup, very consistent, and exposed to any south or southeast energy that comes its way. The first whiff of something rideable comes on Monday morning, August 17th. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the SSE, period is short at 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit soft and bumpy. The energy reading is moderate at 287, but the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the WNW, which will keep the surface tidy. Still, it’s only rated as marginal, so don't expect gems. Later that afternoon it drops to a 4ft swell from the SE with a clean offshore wind from the north, which will be surfable but pretty ordinary.

The rest of that week stays small. Tuesday the 18th has tiny 2ft waves with clean conditions in the morning. Thursday the 20th shows a slight pulse: a 4ft swell from the south in the morning with a glassy offshore NNW wind at only 5 km/h (3 mph). That’s about as clean as it gets, but the wave quality is still just surfable. The combined energy is weak (114). Then repeating again on Friday the 28th of August – a 2ft SE swell with a glassy cross-offshore breeze in the morning giving you a clean surface (energy at 109). That afternoon the wind swings to a strong 30 km/h (19 mph) offshore from the NNW, which would be howling, but the swell is tiny.

Honestly, the whole 16-day window is a struggle. There is no standout period. The bigger swell on the 17th is the "best" wave height, but the quality is poor. The cleanest, most appealing conditions for a patient surfer are probably the glassy Thursday morning of the 20th, or the Friday morning of the 28th. For the long-range calls around the 28th and 29th, there’s some flicker of life but don’t hold your breath – it's a long way out.

Crowds at Jetty are "sometimes", but when the surf is this small and ordinary, it won't be busy.

For anyone with a kite, the afternoon of Sunday the 16th or the 23rd with moderate cross-onshore wind and choppy bumpy surf might look more interesting than a paddle session.

Stay patient.

Rusty.

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