La Jolla Shores Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've been staring at the charts for La Jolla Shores and the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat for us. We've got a run of small, weak swell that's going to be a challenge to get a decent wave. The water's sitting at 73°F and is much warmer than we'd normally expect for this time of year, which is a nice touch for a paddle.

The first real chance of anything surfable kicks off this Wednesday afternoon. We're looking at a 5ft south swell, with a period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy is sitting at 735. That's moderate energy, but the wind is a light cross-onshore from the west-southwest at 6 mph, which will put a bit of a bump on the surface. It's a marginal session, but it's the start of the window.

The pattern stays pretty much the same through the rest of the week and into the weekend. Swell hangs around 3ft to 4ft, mostly from the south or south-southwest, with periods around 12 to 16 seconds. The wind stays light, but it's mainly cross-onshore or cross-shore, which isn't ideal for that clean, glassy look. The energy is moderate, hovering between 449 and 899. This is all marginal stuff, tick-over waves at best.

We hit a dry spell from Monday morning (31st August) through to the middle of the week. The swell drops right off, and the wind starts turning onshore. This is a quiet patch with no real surfable options. The onshore wind from the west and northwest blows the top off anything that's there, making it a write-off for paddle surfing.

Things get interesting around Thursday, September 3rd. The swell picks up a bit, with a 7ft south-southwest swell on the Thursday morning, showing a combined energy of 1341. That's a noticeable jump in energy. The period is 12 seconds, so it's a solid, workable groundswell. However, the wind is onshore from the west-northwest at 9 mph, which is a real shame. It's going to be a messy, lumpy surface. The wave size is getting into the "too big for beginners" territory, but with the wind chop, it's an expert-only kind of day. Saturday, September 5th, and Sunday, September 6th, see the swell backing off to 4ft to 4ft, with periods stretching to 16 seconds. The wind swings back to light and cross-onshore or cross-shore, which is a slight improvement, but the surf quality remains marginal.

Looking further out, we get another pulse around Wednesday, September 9th. A 5ft south-southwest swell with a 12-second period and combined energy of 1052. The wind is a light cross-shore from the southwest at 6 mph, which is the best wind we've seen in a while. This could be the pick of the second week, offering a few cleaner waves. But it's a long-range call, so you'd want to keep an eye on it.

Overall, don't expect any barrels. The consistent onshore winds and small, weak swell are the main story. If you're a kite surfer, the windy days with that 7ft swell might be more interesting than for a standard surfer. For a stand-out session, it's a tough call. The Thursday morning (3rd September) has the most size, and the Wednesday morning (9th September) has the best wind. Neither is a guarantee, but those are your best bets in a pretty quiet forecast.

Rusty.

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