Leffingwell Landing Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down. The next couple of weeks at Leffingwell Landing (reef, very consistent, advanced) are looking a bit iffy. The water is a freezing 56°, which is a whopping 5° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a seriously unusual chill, so you’ll want a thick suit.

The first few days are pretty grim. Wednesday afternoon the 22nd has some clouds, a cross-on wind from the WNW at 16 mph, and a weak 3ft SSW swell with a long 14-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 526, but the wind is just messing it up, making for poor, choppy conditions. Thursday and Friday are more of the same – cross-on winds, choppy surf, and nothing to get excited about. The swell direction is all over the place, coming from the SSW and then switching to a short-period WNW windswell, which is never a good sign for a reef that likes a clean WNW groundswell.

We do get a little window of something better around the end of the month. On Thursday afternoon the 30th, the wind finally swings onshore from the WNW at 12 mph. The swell jumps to 5ft from the WNW with an 8-second period, and the energy is moderate at 444. It’s still not perfect, but it’s a big step up from the junk we’ve been looking at. Friday morning the 31st is the best of the lot for a while. We’ve got some clouds, a light onshore breeze from the W at 6 mph, and a solid 5ft NW swell with an 8-second period. The energy is a moderate 832, and while the period is short, the wind is light enough to keep things cleaner than we’ve seen. This is the standout session for the near term – it’s not world-class, but it’s the most surfable we’ve got.

Moving into the first week of August, there’s a bit more consistency in the swell size, but the wind remains a problem. Sunday morning the 2nd has a light onshore breeze and a 5ft WNW swell, but the energy is low at 335. Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th both see the swell pick up to around 6ft to 6ft with a moderate 10 to 11-second period, pushing the energy into the moderate range (651 to 980). The wind is onshore, but light, so it’s not totally blown out. These are the best options in the second week – a bit more grunt and a longer period, which should give the reef a bit more shape. The direction is right on the money for the break (WNW), so if the wind stays light, these mornings could be worth a paddle.

The rest of the outlook is a lot of the same story – cross-on winds and choppy conditions. There’s a big gap in any truly good surf from the 23rd all the way to the 30th, so don’t hold your breath. The consistent nature of the break means it won’t stay flat for long, but the wind is the enemy here. Keep an eye on those light wind mornings around the 4th and 5th of August.

Rusty.

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