La Push Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you about the next couple of weeks at La Push. It’s gonna be a waiting game, a test of patience. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing special before things maybe start to wake up.

The first few days are just a write-off. Light winds and small, weak swell is all we’re seeing, with wave energy hanging around the 150 to 200 mark. It’s not going to be worth getting wet for. The swell is short-period and confused, and the wind is mostly cross-onshore, making everything a bit messy. It’s pretty flat and uninspiring right now.

We start to see a little more life around the 5th of August. The swell bumps up to 5ft on Wednesday morning with a touch more energy behind it (391), and the wind actually goes light onshore. But it’s still a short-period, junky swell. The models are calling it marginal, and with the tide, it’ll be a bit of a gamble. It’s not terrible, but it’s not clean or powerful enough to be a proper session.

From the 6th through the 10th, we’re stuck in that same holding pattern. Waist-high waves, weak energy, and a constant cross-onshore breeze messing up the surface. There are a few windows with light winds, but the swell is just too weak to make anything of it. You’ll be scratching for a ride, not surfing.

Then on Monday the 11th, we get a hint of something. The swell pushes back up to 5ft and the energy climbs back into the 300s. Still, the wind is cross-shore, and it’s all still pretty average. The next few days are a slow build, but the wind and swell aren't lining up. The 12th sees the swell hit 5ft with more energy, but still that cross-shore wind. Come Thursday the 13th, the swell is pushing 6ft, but the wind is on it and it’s just going to be a choppy mess.

Now, here’s where I start to get a little interested. The weekend of the 15th and 16th of August. The swell is building. On the 15th, we’re looking at 7ft of WNW swell, and the energy is really starting to climb, hitting 909. That’s a proper pulse of energy. But, the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s going to be lumpy. The morning of the 15th is the best bet, with lighter winds, but it's still not ideal. This is the standout window, but it's not a classic. The 16th is a bit smaller, but still has some push.

The 17th throws a curveball. The swell direction swings to the southwest, and the period jumps up to 15-16 seconds. That’s some long-period groundswell, but the height drops right back down to 2ft. It’s all power, no size. That’s a frustrating tease.

The last couple of days of the window, the 18th and 19th, see the swell pick up a bit, back to around 4ft, with some longer periods in the 11-12 second range. The energy is moderate, but the wind is still cross-onshore and onshore. It’s looking like more of the same – a bit of swell, but messy conditions.

The water temp is sitting at 60°F, which is about normal for this time of year. The bottom line is this: the best chance for a decent wave is the morning of Saturday the 15th of August. The swell is the biggest we’ll see, and the wind is lightest. It won't be perfect, but it's the pick of the bunch. It’s a waiting game, but there are signs of life. It tends not to stay this poor for long, so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Stay keen, Rusty.

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