La Push Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening at La Push. I’ve looked over the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough run. The forecast shows a long stretch of poor conditions, with the wind mostly coming from the wrong angles and messing up the swell. The water is sitting at 59°F right now, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first few days are a write-off. From Friday the 7th right through to the end of the second week, we’re looking at a real dry spell. There’s a solid week and a half of nothing worth paddling out for. The swell is a mix of small, short-period windswell and those longer period southwesterly swells, but the wind is almost always cross-on or onshore, chopping everything up. The combined swell energy is moderate for most of it – around 200 to 400 (moderate wave energy) – but it’s all wasted by the wind. You’ll see a few days where the height pushes past 5ft, like on the 14th and 15th of August, but the period is short (7-8 seconds) and the wind ruins it.

Then, finally, we get a glimmer. Monday morning, the 17th of August, things glass off. The wind goes dead calm – glassy conditions – and we’ve got a 2ft southwest groundswell with a period of 16 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, which means good shape and energy, but it’s small. The combined energy is moderate (290). This is the best on offer in the whole window. The waves will be clean, but it’s a small swell, so it’s more of a longboard or funboard day. The break is a reef, so that long period should wrap in nicely, but don’t expect much size.

The real standout, if you’re an experienced surfer, is the morning of Tuesday the 18th of August. The swell jumps up to 7ft from the WNW with a period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy is a strong 1279. That’s a lot of power. But, and it’s a big but, the wind is onshore and the quality is still flagged as marginal. This is a big, powerful, messy wave. At over 7ft, it’s strictly for experts. Beginners, stay well clear of this one. The morning of the 19th also has a solid 6ft WNW swell (800 energy), but again, it’s onshore and messy.

So, to sum it up: the first 10 days are a total bust. The 17th of August morning is your best bet for a clean, glassy, small session. The 18th of August morning has the biggest swell, but only for the experienced crew who don’t mind battling onshore wind. After that, it starts to fade back into smaller, choppier conditions. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because a run this bad can’t last forever.

Rusty.

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