La Jolla Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Looking at the next 16 days for our local patch, it’s a pretty bleak picture overall. The swell window is just not cooperating, and most of the time we’re looking at tiny, weak waves blown out by onshore winds. There’s a real arid stretch of flat days here, so don’t hold your breath for anything epic.

The first thing worth even thinking about is a brief window on Thursday morning, July 23rd. The swell bumps up to 5ft from the WNW, but the wind is onshore from the WSW at 6 mph, which is exactly the wrong direction, making the surface choppy. It’s a marginal call at best. The energy is moderate, at 270, but it’s just not clean enough for a proper session.

After that, the surf drops off a cliff. For over a week, from July 24th right through the end of the month, we’re stuck with tiny waves under 3ft. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and the swell period is a short 7-8 seconds, meaning weak, mushy lines. The energy values are all in the double digits, a clear sign of a flat spell. There’s nothing to chase.

We get a flicker of life on Saturday afternoon, July 25th, with a very long-period groundswell of 20 seconds from the SW, but the swell height is only 3ft. The energy shoots up to 671, which is strong, but that long period and tiny size means it’ll be incredibly inconsistent and fat. The wind is cross-on from the W, so it’s not clean. It’s a tease.

Things stay flat and messy right through the first week of August. The swell is tiny, the wind is generally onshore, and the scores are all zero. It’s a stretch of nothing.

There is a bit of a pulse on Monday morning, August 3rd, with 5ft of WNW swell, but the cross-shore wind from the WSW at 10 mph will chop it up. The energy is moderate at 280, but it’s just not a quality wave. It’s a frustrating pattern.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is the Saturday afternoon, July 25th window. That long-period 20-second swell from the SW is a rare event, a true groundswell at 671 energy. But it’s tiny and the wind is off. For a place like La Jolla Cove (reef and point), that long period and direction is actually ideal for that setup, but the size is just too small to make it work. The water temperature is a warm 74°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while you’re sitting there waiting for a wave that never comes.

Honestly, if you’re a beginner, there’s nothing here. For the more experienced, keep your eyes peeled for that Saturday afternoon window, but it’s a long shot. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off. This is a classic summer flat spell for us.

Stay patient, Rusty.

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