North Torrey Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, my fellow wave hunters, Rusty here, and I ain’t gonna sugarcoat it – this forecast is a bummer. We’re looking at the next 16 days for North Torrey Pines, and the pattern is pretty much flat and ugly. The first real spot on the list isn’t even a proper recommendation, so let’s just dive in.

We’ve got a real gap at the start. Nothing worth paddling for from Thursday, August 6th, through the weekend and deep into the next week. That’s a solid week of weak, choppy, messy conditions. The water temp is sitting at a very unusual 77°F, which is 9°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a huge anomaly, feels like bathwater.

Come Friday, August 14th, we finally see a flicker of life. The swell bumps up a touch to 2ft to 3ft from the SSW, with a long period of 18 seconds. The combined wave energy is strong, reading 565 on Friday morning and jumping to 767 on Friday afternoon. That’s a lot of energy for such a small wave. The wind is offshore from the W, light at 6 mph to 9 mph, which should keep the surface glassy. But the forecast only calls it marginal, and the wave size is still tiny. It’s a tease, but not a green light.

The best chance in this whole 16-day window looks like Saturday, August 15th. The swell increases to 3ft to 4ft from the SSW, with a period of 16 seconds. The energy is still strong at 619 in the morning and 749 in the afternoon. But here’s the catch: the wind swings cross-onshore from the WNW in the afternoon, which will mess up the smooth surface. The morning offers a better shot with offshore WNW wind at 9 mph, but the swell is still under 3ft. For a beginner break like North Torrey Pines, the tiny size is actually a plus, but the inconsistent quality is a real downer.

After that, it’s back to the same story. From Sunday, August 16th, right through to Friday, August 21st, we’re looking at poor surf conditions with cross-onshore winds and small, weak swells. The energy drops back into the 200s and 300s. It’s a long, bleak run for a wave that rarely sees any real power.

Honestly, the only standout is the window around Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th of August, but only if you’re desperate to get wet. The offshore winds and the long-period groundswell have promise, but the size is just too small to get excited about. For a beach break, that long-period stuff can also make it break too straight. It’s not a total washout, but it’s close.

It’s a tough stretch for North Torrey Pines. This kind of blank run is pretty normal when the swell windows are closed. Don’t give up hope, forecasts can change, but right now, leave the board strapped to the roof.

Rusty.

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