Little Joes/Between the Jetties Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it—things are lookin’ rough for the next couple weeks. We’ve only got Little Joes/Between the Jetties to work with, and the wind is just killin’ it day after day.

You’ve got a persistent cross-onshore or cross wind from the NNW messin’ up the surface. Even when there’s swell—a long-period 16-second groundswell from the SW pushin’ 3 ft—the wind chops it all up. The combined swell energy is moderate, about 417 on Sunday morning, but with that wind it’s all texture and no fun. The water is 53°F, which is a solid 5°F colder than normal, so you’re feelin’ that extra bite.

Sunday, August 16th, Monday the 17th, Tuesday the 18th… it’s the same story: poor surf, moderate wind, and a cross-chop that makes it feel like you’re surfing in a washing machine. Swell sizes hang between 2 ft and 3 ft, period is solid (14 to 16 seconds), but it doesn’t matter with that wind. Crowds are likely here on the better days, but there’s nothin’ worth fightin’ for.

Thursday morning, August 20th, we get a little breather—wind drops to 5 km/h (3 mph) from the WNW, and the swell is 3 ft from the same direction with an 11-second period. Energy is still moderate at 444. It’s still a cross-on wind, but it’s glassy-ish. The catch? It’s only a “marginal” call, with questionable tide conditions. If you’re desperate, go ahead, but keep expectations low.

We see a flicker of hope on Friday morning, August 21st: a 5 km/h (3 mph) offshore from the west, with a 2 ft SW swell at 14 seconds. That’s clean wind, but the size is tiny, and combined energy is 368. It’s a marginal session at best.

After that, we slide back into the same wind-affected pattern. Saturday and Sunday, August 23rd and 24th, the swell picks up a bit—4 ft to 5 ft from the NW on the 23rd, but that’s paired with a fresh to strong breeze (30-40 km/h, 18-25 mph) makin’ it a lumpy, cross-shore mess. At that size and with that wind, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The period drops to a short 8 seconds too, so the waves are weak and crumbly.

We then go into a mellow but still messy stretch from August 24th through the 27th. Swell drops back to 2 ft to 2 ft, mostly from the SW with long periods (16-18 seconds), but the wind keeps it cross-onshore. The water warms up a bit on the 27th with a slight break in the wind, but it’s still only a “marginal” call on Thursday morning with clouds and light wind from the SW.

Friday, August 28th morning is probably the pick of the whole outlook—a *slight air* WNW breeze at 5 km/h (3 mph), 2 ft swell from the W at a nice 13 seconds, and the highest energy reading of the run at 489. It’s still cross-on, but that clean wind makes it the closest thing to a decent surf window we’ve got. But it’s still a marginal tide situation.

From there, the final days of August slide back into fresh to strong NW winds and messy cross-chop. The swell stays small (2 ft to 4 ft) and the energy fluctuates, but the wind kills it every time. The very last day, August 31st, shows 4 ft from the WNW at 12 seconds, but a fresh cross-shore wind and lumpy conditions keep it in the “poor” bin.

Bottom line: There’s no standout session in this 16-day window. The best you’re gonna get is a *maybe* on the morning of August 21st with that light offshore, or the morning of August 28th with the glassy wind and solid groundswell energy. But these are marginal at best. If you’re lookin’ for something clean and punchy, you’re gonna have to wait. Forecasts change, but right now, this is a blank run for the area. It tends not to stay this poor for long, so fingers crossed we get a better pattern in September.

Rusty.

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