La Jolla Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's cooking at La Jolla Cove over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it's a pretty grim stretch for paddle surfing. We're looking at a long, quiet run with hardly anything to get excited about. The good news is that this break is fairly consistent, so a blank run like this is a bit unusual, and forecasts can always change. But for now, don't expect much.

We start off on Saturday, August 22nd with tiny 2ft swell from the WNW, and a weak period of 6 seconds. The wind is a light cross-onshore, and the wave energy is weak at 30. It's just poor surf conditions all day. Sunday the 23rd is more of the same, with that swell dropping to 1ft in the morning. The energy does pick up a bit to 263, but the period is a very long 19 seconds, which is a groundswell. At a place like La Jolla Cove, that long period can make the waves break a bit too straight, and with a gentle cross-onshore, it's still pretty ordinary.

Monday the 24th is the first day we get a "surfable" rating, but it's only for the afternoon. The swell holds at 2ft from the SW with a 17-second period, and the wind goes light cross-offshore, which cleans things up. The energy is moderate at 202. This is your best bet in the first week, but it's still very ordinary.

The rest of the first week is a washout. Tuesday the 25th through to Monday the 31st is all "poor surf conditions." The swell stays small, between 2ft and 3ft, mostly from the WNW with short periods of 7 to 10 seconds. The wind is light, but often onshore or cross-shore. The wave energy is weak to moderate, never really getting strong.

Then we get a little blip on the radar. Tuesday, September 1st, the swell jumps to 5ft from the WNW with a 9-second period, and the energy hits 441. Wednesday the 2nd pushes up to 6ft with energy at 666. This is the biggest swell of the outlook. But at 6ft, it's getting into the "maybe too big for beginners" territory, and the wind is a light cross-shore, which is okay but not glassy. The conditions are still described as "marginal" and the period is short. It's something to watch if you're an experienced surfer, but it's a long way out and not a standout.

After that, it fades away. Thursday the 3rd drops to 4ft, and by the weekend of September 5th and 6th, we're back to tiny 2ft and 1ft swell with very weak energy. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no worries there.

So, the best on offer is that Monday afternoon, August 24th, with a clean, cross-offshore wind and a long-period 2ft SW swell. It's not much, but it's the only time we get a "surfable" call. For the second week, that Tuesday-Wednesday (September 1st-2nd) bump is promising but less certain. Keep an eye on it.

Stay tuned, forecasts can flip.

- Rusty

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