Nimitz Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what Nimitz Beach has in store for the next couple of weeks. Gotta be honest – it’s a pretty flat and frustrating outlook. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor to marginal surf, with a lot of wind keeping things messy or just plain weak. The first real surf that’s worth even a mention doesn’t show up until about a week away, so there’s a big gap of several days with nothing to recommend.

Water temp is about 80°F, with an anomaly of just 0.5°F – so pretty average for the time of year.

Let’s start with the only time the ocean even tries. On Monday, 21 July, the morning session shows swell from the south at about 3ft, period 15 seconds, with a combined energy of 560 – that’s moderate. Winds are cross-off from the ENE at 19 mph, keeping the surface clean. It’s still only a marginal call, but it’s the pick of a very weak bunch. Swell direction is S, which is close to the optimum from the south for this spot. It’s a beginner-level reef break, but inconsistent, so don’t expect a lot of waves. Crowds are sometimes around, so you might have a few others out.

The rest of the window? Mostly cross-off winds but the swell is tiny, often 2ft to 3ft, and the combined energy rarely hits 500 for long. The period is all over the place – some long 18-second groundswell, but too weak and wonky to do much on a reef setup. By Wednesday, 22 July afternoon, there’s a 2ft SSW swell with a very long 22-second period and energy of 588, but that kind of period tends to be too straight for a beach break or reef – better off at a point or river mouth. Still, clean conditions from the cross-off wind, but poor surf quality overall.

Through the following week, it’s more of the same: small, mostly marginal, and nothing that’ll get your heart racing. The Thursday, 23 July morning has a 3ft SSW swell at 19 seconds, energy 732, with clean cross-off winds – again, best of a bad lot but still only a marginal shout.

Honestly, if you’re desperate for a paddle, Monday 21 July morning is your best bet. But don’t get your hopes up. This setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer most days, given the persistent side-off winds and small swell.

Stay patient, check back later – forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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