Mavericks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for this 16-day window.

We’re looking at a pretty frustrating run of surf at Mavericks. The ocean’s got some energy, sure, but the conditions are just not lining up for a clean, ridable session most days. The water’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 61°, which is a small silver lining, but don’t let that fool you.

The first chance you’ll see anything even slightly interesting is on Monday the 7th of September. Early morning, the wind drops to dead glassy – almost calm. The swell is small, only 3ft from the SSW with a period of 14 seconds, so it’s a mellow groundswell. The combined energy is moderate (373). It won’t be big, but that glassy surface will make it look clean. For a big wave spot like this, it’s tiny, but if you’re desperate for a paddle, it’s the only window that’s not completely blown out. The afternoon chops back up.

Then on Tuesday the 8th of September, we get a repeat: another glassy morning, with the swell dropping a touch to 3ft from the SSW. Same story – small, clean, but not really what Mavericks is known for. The energy is a bit weaker (273). It’s a marginal call.

The outlook gets messy for a long stretch after that. There’s a jump in size on Saturday the 12th of September, with a new WNW swell pushing 6ft in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon. That’s more like it size-wise, but the period is short at 9 seconds, and the wind is a moderate cross-onshore breeze. The energy is strong (690), but the waves will be choppy and disorganised. The whole setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

The following week stays pretty rough. A few days in the middle of the second week, around Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th of September, sees some size again – 5ft to 6ft from the WNW – but again, the period is short (7-9 seconds) and the wind stays cross or cross-onshore. The energy picks up (over 500 on the 18th), but the quality just isn’t there for a clean session at this exposed reef. The swell direction is also from the WNW, which is offshore for the spot, but with the wind coming from the south, it’s a mess.

The standout, if you can call it that, is the Monday 7th of September morning. It’s the only time the surf looks clean. But honestly, for a dedicated big wave surfer, this entire 16-day window is a write-off. The surf is either too small, too short-period, or too blown out. There’s no real session to get excited about.

This is Rusty, signing off. Keep the board waxed, but maybe leave it in the car for a while.

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