La Jolla Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board, let’s see what’s cooking for La Jolla Cove over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I gotta be straight with you, it’s a pretty bleak run for the Cove. The next week and a half is mostly a scratch-fest. We’ve got a long gap with no real surf on offer right through from now until late in the month. The water’s sitting at a balmy 73°F, which is *much warmer than normal* for this time of year—near 5°F above average, which is very unusual.

Starting off this Sunday afternoon, the 16th of August, we’re looking at weak, short-period windswell from the WNW at about 2ft. With a 12 mph onshore breeze, it’s just poor. The combined energy is a measly (37). This pattern sticks around for days. Monday and Tuesday are the same story—small surf, onshore to cross-onshore wind, all poor. Wave energy stays weak, barely cracking triple digits. That 3ft of swell on Tuesday the 18th from the west might sound like something, but with a pitiful 7-second period and cross-onshore wind, it’s just mush.

We finally see a shift on Sunday the 23rd of August. A long-period groundswell arrives from the SW with a period of 19 seconds—that’s a proper long-period groundswell. The swell height is still only 2ft, but the energy jumps up to a moderate (281). The catch? Sunday afternoon brings rain showers and a 12 mph cross-onshore wind, so it’ll be choppy and messy. This is the first pulse of something with potential.

By Monday the 24th of August, morning conditions look a bit more promising. The swell holds from the SW at 2ft with an 18-second period, energy is at (300). The wind has dropped to a gentle 9 mph cross-shore breeze. The model calls it “marginal,” but that’s the best we’ve seen. Keep your expectations in check—it’s still small, and that long period means the sets will be spaced out, which can make the paddle out easier but the wait longer.

Tuesday the 25th through to the end of the month brings more of the same small SW groundswell, with energy levels hanging in the moderate range (between 179 and 309). Winds are mostly light and cross-onshore or cross, so the surface won’t be glassy, but it’ll be rideable. Nothing is really a standout here. The one exception is the very last entry on Monday the 31st of August. The afternoon shows a pulse of 1ft swell from the SW with a *very long* 21-second period, combined energy of (249), and the wind goes cross-offshore and clean. That’s the best-looking window in the whole forecast, but it’s still tiny. A long-period groundswell like that at La Jolla Cove, which is a reef and point break, can sometimes produce a cleaner shape than a beach break, but with only 1ft, you’ll be fighting for any crumb.

For the second week, the surf remains tiny. Those consistent little pulses of SW groundswell keep the energy up, but the height never breaks 2ft. It’s a long-range hopeful, but don’t get your hopes up too high.

Truth is, there isn’t a single standout day for a session you’d write home about. If you’re desperate, the morning of the 24th or the afternoon of the 31st are your best bets, but bring a longboard. Expect it to be quiet crowds-wise, as there’s not enough juice to draw a crowd. It’s just one of those stretches of the year where the Cove is taking a nap.

Rusty.

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