North Torrey Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking in on the local waves for ya.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next two weeks ain't looking like a vintage summer run for our shores. The water's sitting at a balmy 75°, which is a whopping 8° warmer than normal for the time of year. We're talking proper warm bathwater stuff, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home. But the surf quality? Mostly marginal or poor. There's a decent amount of energy in the water, but the wind and conditions just aren't lining up.

Let's start with what we've got. Wednesday afternoon (July 22nd) is a write-off with cross-onshore wind and poor surf. You're looking at a clean start of the run.

Thursday morning (July 23rd) could be your best bet early doors. North Torrey Pines sees a S swell of 4 ft with a solid 13-second period at a light 10 km/h onshore breeze. The combined energy is moderate (664). It's not perfect, but it's the best of a tough bunch. The tide might be a factor, so pick your moment. Thursday afternoon goes a bit worse with more wind.

Friday the 24th has a weird one. You've got a very long-period SW groundswell (24 seconds!) coming in, but the heights are tiny at 2 ft. The energy is moderate to strong (968) because of that long period, but it's mostly a miss for North Torrey Pines.

The weekend? Not much to write home about. Saturday the 25th has waist-high S/SSW swell and light onshore wind, but it's marginal. Sunday the 26th brings a stronger breeze from the SSW up to 20 km/h, which will chop things up.

Now, here’s where I get a little more interested. Monday July 27th through Tuesday July 28th sees a bump in swell. We get a consistent 4 ft to 5 ft SSW swell, still with a decent 16-19 second period. The combined energy jumps up into the 1100s and even 1234 on Tuesday morning – that's strong. The wind is a cross-onshore 15 km/h, so it'll be a bit lumpy, but there's proper push behind these waves. This is likely the most powerful the surf will be, but it's not clean. For a more advanced crew, there could be some fun, punchy walls, but for the average punter, it's a bit raw.

After that, it fades. From Wednesday July 29th onwards, the swell size drops and hangs around the 3 ft to 4 ft mark, and the period drops too. The energy fades steadily from a moderate 865 down to weak levels under 200 by the first week of August. The wind stays mostly onshore or cross-onshore. Honestly, from the end of July into the first week of August, the outlook is pretty flat and poor. The morning of August 1st might give a little 5 ft S swell with a light cross-onshore, but that's far from certain.

So, the standout? I'd say Thursday morning July 23rd is your cleanest window for a few fun ones, even if it's small. The real power is Monday July 27th and Tuesday July 28th, but you'll have to deal with the chop. If you're not desperate, have a look at those days, but keep your expectations in check. After that, it's a pretty long stretch of poor to non-existent conditions through to the 6th of August.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the sky.

- Rusty

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