La Push Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the menu for La Push over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a scratchy start, but there’s a little window of clean conditions that might just get you out of the house.

The pattern starts off messy. Sunday afternoon, the 2nd, has a 5ft W swell with a short 9-second period, but a 16 mph NW cross-onshore wind has it chopped up and pretty poor. The combined wave energy is moderate at 462, but the wind is just ruining any chance of a wave to ride. That sets the tone for a few days of tricky conditions.

Monday the 3rd offers a glimmer with a 4ft WNW swell early, but the wind is onshore at 3 mph, and the quality is marginal. The period is a weak 7 seconds, so it’s a mushy, short-period swell. Things stay bumpy through the rest of the week with cross-onshore winds and choppy surfaces. Wednesday morning the 5th has a 5ft wave at 8 seconds, but it’s a marginal call. Thursday morning the 6th sees a similar 5ft swell, but again, winds are cross-onshore, keeping the surface messy.

Now, here’s the standout. Tuesday morning, the 4th of August, is your best bet in the near term. The swell is 4ft from the WNW with a 7-second period, but the real story is the wind: glassy, dead calm at 3 mph. That’s going to make the surface silky smooth. The combined energy is moderate at 255, so it’s not a big day, but for a beginner-friendly reef break that’s consistent and exposed to the swell, this is a clean, playful window. The water temperature is sitting at 60°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprise there. La Push is a reef setup, so with a short-period swell like this, you’ll get some fun, punchy little waves. The optimum swell direction is WSW, and we’re getting a WNW, so the angle is a bit off, but in glassy conditions, it’ll still offer some fun rides. Just keep in mind, crowds are sometimes around, so you might see a few others out.

The rest of the first week and into the second stays messy. The afternoons are consistently blown out by cross-onshore winds. Friday the 7th through Sunday the 9th are all the same story: short-period, choppy surf. The energy picks up a bit mid-week, with Monday the 10th morning showing a 6ft WNW swell at 9 seconds and 678 combined energy, but the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s a marginal look. That larger swell is really just going to be a bumpy mess.

The real deep-water energy comes in later. Wednesday the 12th afternoon sees a 6ft swell from the WNW with a short 8-second period, but the combined energy jumps to 1035 – that’s a strong surge. The problem is, it’s onshore wind and cloudy, so the quality is poor. This is a case where the swell is big enough to be interesting, but the wind is terrible. For a beach-and-reef setup like this, that kind of onshore wind and short-period chop makes it look more like a kiteboarding session than a paddling day.

The second week is a bit of a mixed bag, but the standout is further out. Sunday morning, the 16th of August, is the one to circle on the calendar. A 5ft swell from the west with a very long 16-second period and combined energy roaring at 1610 – that’s strong to very strong wave energy. The wind is light cross-onshore from the WNW at 6 mph, which is manageable. This is a long-period groundswell, which means it’s going to have more shape and power, but it can be a bit too straight at a beach break. At a reef like La Push, it should line up nicely. It’s a promising look, but it’s a week and a half out, so take it with a grain of salt. The following Monday the 17th still has some decent energy but the wind is up again.

So, overall, if you want a clean, glassy session, hit Tuesday morning the 4th. If you’re willing to gamble on a more powerful, long-period groundswell, keep an eye on Sunday the 16th. The rest of the time, the wind is just not playing ball.

Stay stoked, and keep watching the horizon.

Rusty

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