L Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a hard look at what’s on offer. Straight up, this is a grim stretch for L Jetty. We’ve got a solid 16-day window in front of us, but the outlook is bleak. There’s a massive gap of poor to no surf right from the start, and it barely improves.

The first solid chance of anything even worth a paddle doesn’t show up until the morning of Saturday, August 8th. Even then, it’s just 3 ft of swell from the S with a short, weak 6-second period, and the combined energy is only moderate at 109. The conditions are ordinary, and the wind is a light cross-offshore from the WSW, so the surface will be clean, but the waves are just nothing to write home about. That afternoon the energy actually drops back to 80, so it’s a one-hit wonder that fizzles out.

Sunday morning, August 9th, offers a tiny 2 ft SSE swell with a 7-second period and a light offshore wind from the WSW. The energy is weak at 51. By the afternoon, the wind goes glassy, but the swell is down to 2 ft with a combined energy of just 37. It’s pretty, but there’s almost no push.

After that, it’s a long, painful slog. From Monday, August 10th, right through to Tuesday, August 18th, the swell is consistently below 2 ft, with periods mostly under 7 seconds and combined energy readings that are weak, often in the teens or single digits. The water temp is about average for the time of year, but you won’t care because there’s no surf to enjoy.

The only real standout, and I use that term loosely, is the Tuesday afternoon of August 18th. That’s over a week away. The swell jumps to 5 ft from the S with a 6-second period, and the combined energy jumps to a moderate 143. The wind is a strong cross-off from the NNW at 22 mph, so it’ll be clean but blown out. It’s still getting a “poor surf conditions” tag, so don’t expect much.

Then on Wednesday morning, August 19th, the swell hits 5 ft from the S with a combined energy of 376 – that’s strong energy. But the period is still a short 7 seconds, and the wind is a moderate cross-shore from the N at 12 mph, making it choppy. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s messy.

Overall, this is a brutal 16 days. The best option on offer is the morning of Saturday, August 8th, for the cleanest surface and the most consistent energy, but it’s still a weak, ordinary wave. The bigger swell on the 18th and 19th is too far out to trust, and the conditions look poor. If you’re desperate, bring a kiteboard, because paddle surfing is a write-off.

Rusty.

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