La Zenia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer around La Zenia. To be honest, it’s a bleak run ahead. We’ve got a gap of nearly two weeks with next to nothing, before a brief moment of almost-surfable conditions shows up right at the end.

Starting Wednesday morning (9th September), the water is a toasty 81°F, which is 5°F above normal, so much warmer than you'd expect for this time of year. But that’s where the good news ends. There’s no swell energy (0 energy), and the wind is offshore but the sea is flat. Pretty heartbreaking.

Thursday the 10th sees a tiny pulse of 4 ft swell from the ENE with a short period of 8 seconds, but the wind is a messy cross-onshore at 12 mph. The combined energy is only moderate (179) but the onshore breeze chops it all up. Not a wave you’d paddle out for.

The rest of that week and all of the next week are a write-off. From Friday the 11th right through to Monday the 21st of September, we’re talking barely ankle-snappers – swells under 2 ft, periods of 4 to 5 seconds, and energy readings stuck below 100, mostly in the single digits. Some mornings are glassy, but there’s simply no swell to ride. It’s a long, flat spell.

Now, on Monday morning the 21st of September, there’s a faint glimmer. The wind goes glassy – dead calm from the WNW (0 mph). That’s a major positive, giving us clean conditions. We get a waist-high 4 ft swell from the east, with a period of 6 seconds and a combined energy of 111 (moderate). The wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – and honestly, that’s the best we’ve got in the whole sixteen-day window. The swell direction is east, and the break here at La Zenia (a reef setup) prefers an east swell, so it matches. It’s only a 1 out of 10 score, though. This is a spot that’s *inconsistent*, so a rare pulse, even a small one with glass, is notable. The waves will be small and weak, but if you’re desperate, Monday morning is the only chance for a paddle.

Be aware that this spot can get crowded *often*, so expect a few others with the same idea if the swell shows.

By Tuesday the 22nd, the wind swings onshore again and the swell drops back to under 3 ft. The run fizzles out. Thursday the 24th is glassy again but with only 1 ft of weak 7-second swell (energy 20) – basically flat.

So, the only standout, if you can call it that, is Monday morning the 21st of September. Clean, glassy, and the one swell event of the whole outlook. Keep the expectations low, but it’s something.

Rusty.

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