North Torrey Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for North Torrey Pines over the next couple of weeks. Straight up, my gut says we’re in for a pretty lean run. Most of these days are just going to be small and lacking any real punch.

The opening window, starting Friday the 28th, is pretty marginal. We've got a small, very long-period SSW groundswell coming through, but it's only 2 ft to 3 ft. The energy is quite low for the size, with readings around 437 (Friday morning) to 654 (Friday afternoon). That's not a lot of push behind it. The wind is light and offshore from the west, so the conditions will look clean, but the waves themselves will be tiny and weak. This stretch is really just for the beginner longboarders to get a few small ones. The water temp is sitting at 76°F, which is a massive 7° warmer than normal for this time of year, so it'll feel like a bathtub.

Saturday the 29th sees the swell bump up just a tad to 4 ft in the morning, peaking around 4 ft in the afternoon with that same SSW direction. Period drops a touch to 16 seconds and the energy climbs but it is still just moderate. Winds stay light offshore, so it could be clean, but the wave quality in the data is listed as marginal. It’s not looking like a standout session at all.

We then hit a real rough patch. From Sunday the 30th and through the end of the first week, the swell just fades. The combined energy drops from the 700s down to a weak 240 by Tuesday morning, September 1st. The periods shorten up, and the quality is flagged as poor repeatedly. There’s a couple of days here where the swell is below 3 ft and the wind is either cross-on or just plain onshore. By Monday the 31st, you’re looking at 3 ft with the sea state described as poor. This is a real lull.

The second week is no better. The swell picks up a little life around Thursday, September 4th, with early readings of 3 ft at a very long 17-second period, giving a moderate 919 energy, but it quickly flattens back. There's no true standout in this entire 16-day window that I can point to and get excited about. For a break like North Torrey Pines, which is an exposed beach break, these long-period SSW swells can often break straight and close out, so even the small pulses we get might not shape up well.

If you’re an experienced surfer, just keep the board in the car. There’s nothing here that’s going to get your heart racing. For a kite surfer, a few of those afternoons with a cross-onshore wind and some bump on the water might offer something, but for a paddle surfer? It’s a waiting game. The forecasts could change, but for now, this is a blank run.

Signing off,
Rusty

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