North Jetty at Eureka Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s take a good, honest look at what we’ve got coming our way. The next two weeks or so are a real mixed bag at North Jetty at Eureka, so don’t go expecting a non-stop party. We’re looking at a pretty weak start, then a pulse of bigger, but messier, swell around the weekend, and maybe a little something to end the month.

Right off the bat, Thursday the 20th is nothing to write home about. We’ve got a small 3ft swell from the WNW with a period of 11 seconds, but the wind is a light cross-on from the West. Combined swell energy is sitting pretty weak at 273, so it’s just not doing much. The water temp is about 57°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. Honestly, conditions are marginal at best, and that afternoon it goes totally flat with poor surf.

Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd are even worse. The swell drops right off and we’ve got onshore or cross-onshore winds. There’s really nothing to chase here. It’s a flat spell.

Now, things get a bit more interesting on Sunday the 23rd. The swell picks up to 6ft in the morning, coming from the NNW with a short period of 8 seconds. That’s windswell, not groundswell, so it’s gonna be a bit lumpy. The combined energy jumps up to a solid 547, so there’s some push there, but the wind is onshore from the NNW. It’s still only a marginal call. By the afternoon, the swell hits 7ft, and energy is up to 833, but it’s cross-onshore again and the period stays short. This is expert territory at over 8ft, and with that choppy wind, it’ll be a handful.

Monday the 24th holds similar energy in the 6ft to 6ft range, still short period NNW swell. The wind is better in the morning with a light cross-on from the West, but the quality is still just marginal. Not a standout.

Things get weird on Tuesday the 25th. A new swell from the SW shows up, barely 2ft, but the period jumps to a massive 17 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, giving it moderate energy at 459. At a beach/jetty setup like North Jetty, that long period might make the waves a bit fat and straight, but it’s a rare, interesting energy. The wind is light cross-on though, so it’s still not clean.

The next real shot of size comes on Friday the 28th of August, with the swell building to 7ft from the NNW, and short period around 8 seconds. Energy is solid at 570. Still, the wind is onshore in the morning and cross-on in the afternoon. Again, this is expert-level size with messy conditions. Not the best.

The afternoon of Thursday the 4th of September sees the biggest swell of the run, at 8ft from the NW with an 8-second period. The combined energy hits 825, which is strong. But again, it’s cross-onshore and choppy. Pure grunt, not grace.

Overall, the most interesting window is that Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th pulse, where the swell is real but the winds aren’t kind. If you’re a strong paddler and don’t mind a bumpy face, you’ll find something to push into. The real gem might be that weird, long-period SW groundswell on the 25th – it’s tiny but has serious energy for its size. On a good tide and with that light wind, it might offer the cleanest, most lined-up waves of the whole outlook, even if small. Crowds are “sometimes” an issue here, so you might find a peak to yourself. For a true standout, that’s your best bet, even though it’s not a classic. Anything after that first week of September looks like more of the same, with size and chop.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the tide, and don’t expect perfection.

Rusty.

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