North Torrey Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks. Rusty here. Let's break down the next couple of weeks at North Torrey Pines.

It's a slow start, no doubt about it. From Monday the 31st of August, the swell is small and the conditions are poor. The water is way warmer than it should be for this time of year, about 77°, which is a solid 8° above the norm – that's a wild anomaly. The first few days are a real write-off, with a gap of several days where you're better off doing something else.

Things start to look a little more promising by the end of the week. On Friday the 4th of September, the swell picks up to 3ft from the SSW, with moderate energy. The wind is a cross-shore breeze, so it's a bit lumpy, but it's a step up. The afternoon sees a 4ft swell with a light breeze, the energy is building.

Saturday the 5th of September is where it gets interesting. The morning brings a clean 3ft SSW swell with light offshore winds. Then the afternoon is the first real standout: a 5ft south swell with a 14-second period, and light offshore winds from the west. The wave energy is strong. This is the best clean surf of the early run, with a solid, long-period groundswell that will have some proper shape. The crowd factor is "sometimes" here, so expect a few others out.

Now, hold on to your board, because Sunday the 6th of September is where things get serious. The morning brings a 7ft south swell with a 14-second period, and the wind is glassy. The energy is strong. This is too big for beginners, but for the experienced crew, it's going to be pumping. The caveat is that this is a beach break, and with a long-period swell like that (15 seconds by the afternoon), the sets will be powerful and may close out a bit, but the conditions are clean. That afternoon, the swell hits 8ft, and the wind swings to a light cross-offshore, making for some clean faces. This is a true standout for the experts.

Monday the 7th of September sees the swell peak at a massive 10ft from the south, with a 14-second period. The morning is clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, and the energy is cranking. This is huge, expert-only territory. The afternoon is a different story, with a strong 45 km/h SSE wind turning it into a mess, even if the swell is still huge. You'd be better off kiting than paddling out into that afternoon session.

The rest of the week sees the swell drop quickly. Tuesday the 8th is still big (10ft) but the wind is on it and the period drops, making for choppy, poor conditions. From the 9th of September onwards, we're back to small, weak, and mostly poor surf. The second week is a long stretch of flatter days with nothing to get excited about.

So, to wrap it up: the best on offer is the afternoon of Saturday the 5th of September for a clean, solid 5ft wave, and the Sunday the 6th of September for the experienced crew looking for a serious, clean 6ft+ groundswell. The first week has the goods; the second week is a time to get the gear sorted.

Rusty.

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