Joaquina Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s break down what’s coming for Joaquina.

We’ve got some decent pulses of swell this week, but it ain’t all glassy perfection. The clear standout is Wednesday the 26th of August, with solid 5ft to 6ft of SE groundswell rolling in at a long 15 seconds. That’s a meaty pulse with moderate to strong wave energy (1034 to 1216). The morning will be clean with light cross-off winds, but the afternoons get a bit lumpy as the breeze ramps up. That Wednesday morning session is the pick of the bunch – plenty of grunt for experienced surfers, and the long period will let the sandbars shape up nicely.

The rest of the first week is a mixed deal. Tuesday the 25th of August starts with a clean 4ft SSE swell under slight airs – surfable but not epic. Wave energy is moderate at 504. Thursday the 27th is similar in the morning, a touch smaller at 4ft but clean, with moderate energy (549). Then it drops off hard from Friday the 28th through Sunday the 30th – we’re looking at tiny, weak swell under 2ft, with energy as low as 7. That’s a flat spell, no good for riding.

Monday the 31st of August brings a small pulse of 4ft easterly swell (228 energy), but the period is short at 9 seconds, and the wind is okay in the morning. It’s a minor reprieve, not a standout.

From September 1st through the 4th, the wind gets messy. Tuesday the 1st has onshore wind over 19 mph, chopping up whatever small swell there is. Wednesday the 2nd offers a clean 3ft SE swell in the morning, but it’s weak at 215 energy and only 10 seconds of period. Just ordinary.

But mark your calendar for September 5th – Saturday morning – because we get another spike of 6ft SSE swell with a long 13-second period and energy pumping at 1001. The wind is offshore from the NNW at 16 mph. That’s a powerful, clean southerly groundswell. The catch: that wind is strong, and the swell is big enough that it’s expert territory, and it’s listed as “marginal” due to tides or conditions. It’s promising but uncertain this far out.

Water temperature sits at 66°F on the first day, which is pretty normal for the area this time of year – no thermal shock.

Joaquina is a very consistent, exposed sandbar that loves a SE swell direction, which is exactly what we’re getting. It’s often crowded, so expect company on the better days.

So here’s the bottom line: if you’re picking days, Wednesday the 26th of August morning is your best bet, and keep an eye on Saturday the 5th of September morning as a long-range one to watch.

Rusty.

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