Nimitz Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at Nimitz Beach. I gotta be honest with you – this forecast is a tough one to get fired up about. The surf is just not playing ball for the most part, and we’re looking at a long stretch of small, wind-affected waves.

The pattern for the next couple of weeks is dominated by a persistent cross-offshore wind from the east-northeast. It’s gonna keep the face clean, but that’s about the only thing going for it. The swell is small and weak, and the real problem is that the swell direction is coming from the south and southwest, which isn't the ideal direction for this reef break. The water temp is sitting at 81°F, which is about normal for the time of year, so at least you won't be freezing.

We’ve got a bit of a gap at the start. The first real chance to get wet is Thursday afternoon, August 6th. But don’t get your hopes up. You’re looking at a tiny 2ft swell from the southwest, with a period of 14 seconds. The energy is weak at 143, and the conditions are flagged as poor. The wind is a moderate breeze. It’s not worth rushing for.

Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th are more of the same – tiny 1ft to 2ft swell. The swell period jumps to 21 seconds on Friday morning, which is a very long period groundswell, but with that tiny height and the wind, it’s just not going to turn into anything you can ride. The energy is moderate (213), but the surf is marginal to poor.

The whole first week is a write-off, honestly. The swell bumps up to 3ft by Wednesday the 12th afternoon, with a solid 18-second period and strong energy (1026), but the wind is a fresh breeze and the conditions are still called marginal. It’s a tease.

The best – and I mean the *only* standout – in this whole 16-day window is a stretch around the 15th and 16th of August. Saturday morning the 15th and Sunday morning the 16th both show a swell of 6ft, but it’s coming from the east with a short period of just 7 to 8 seconds. That’s a windswell, not a groundswell. The energy is moderate (624 to 737), but the wind is a strong breeze at 22 to 25 mph. The wave comment is “poor surf conditions.” This setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. For experts only, and even then, it’s going to be a bumpy, choppy mess with that short period.

After that, the swell drops back down to 2ft to 2ft for the rest of the window. There’s a small pulse of long-period swell (21 seconds) on the 20th and 21st, with energy around 600 to 786, but the swell height is only 2ft to 3ft. It’s a marginal call at best.

So, the honest truth is there’s no real gem to chase here. Nimitz Beach is inconsistent, and this forecast proves it. For a beginner, the swell never gets above 5ft, so it’s not too big, but the quality just isn’t there. The best advice I can give is to wait for the forecasts to change. It tends not to stay this poor for long.

Rusty, signing off.

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