La Jolla Shores Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for La Jolla Shores over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, for the first few days, it’s a bit of a tough start. The swell is small and the wind is coming from the wrong direction, leaving us with cross-onshore conditions and a choppy surface. The water is a real standout though – it’s sitting at 73°F, which is 6°F warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s remarkably warm, so even if the waves are messy, the swim will be nice.

We’re looking at a bit of a slow burn. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are small, with swell around 3 ft to 3 ft from the SW. The combined energy is moderate, ranging from 495 to 855, but those cross-onshore winds are keeping things from cleaning up. It’s surfable if you’re desperate, but it’s not pretty.

Monday the 20th through Wednesday the 23rd are similar stories – small swell, mostly 3 ft to 4 ft, and the wind is still a problem. The wave energy picks up a bit on Tuesday the 21st, hitting 863, but it’s still a “marginal” call at best. The swell period is hanging around 14 to 16 seconds, which is a decent long-period groundswell, but it’s wasted on a beach break with this wind.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Thursday the 24th brings a sneaky little pulse. The swell drops to 2 ft, but the period jumps to 24 seconds – that’s a very long-period groundswell. The energy is solid at 912. The issue is that the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s a tease. The best quality might be early morning, before the breeze picks up.

The real standout window is from Saturday the 25th through Monday the 27th. This is the best on offer. We’ve got a solid run of SSW swell, pushing 3 ft to 4 ft, with periods of 18 to 21 seconds. The combined energy is strong, hitting 1106 on Saturday and peaking at 1401 on Monday morning. The wind is still a bit of a factor, but the light breezes mean it’s more manageable. If you can get out on Monday morning, July 27th, with that 4 ft SSW swell, 18-second period, and light wind, you’ll be looking at the cleanest, most powerful waves of the whole forecast. That’s the one to circle.

After that, things taper off. The energy stays high through Tuesday the 28th (around 1337), but the wind starts to shift to cross-shore, which is a bit better. By Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th, the swell is dropping and the period is shortening. The last few days of July and into August look messy again, with a big spike in size on Friday the 31st – 8 ft from the S – but it’s coming with 14-second period and cross-onshore winds. That’s a lot of water moving around, but it’s not going to be clean. Good for experts only, if anyone.

Overall, if you’ve got patience, the morning of Monday July 27th is the real standout. The rest is a game of waiting for the wind to cooperate.

Rusty.

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