North Torrey Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight up – it’s going to be a slow couple of weeks ahead. There isn’t a single standout day in this entire 16-day window that I’d put a tick next to. The main break we’re looking at is North Torrey Pines. Most of the time, the surf is just plain poor, and even when it’s marginal, the quality isn’t there for a proper session.

The water temperature is sitting at 69°F which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a nice bonus for the skin, but it doesn’t fix the waves.

We start with a real flat spell. From Thursday 2 July right through to Saturday 4 July, the swell is tiny at 2ft to 3ft. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-on from the west at 9 mph, which isn’t doing us any favours. The combined swell energy is moderate, ranging from around 427 to 480 (moderate wave energy), but the surf is rated as poor. There’s nothing to get excited about here.

Sunday 5 July through to Wednesday 8 July, the swell stays small, hovering around 2ft to 4ft from the SSW. The period is long, 16 to 20 seconds, which is nice groundswell, but the real issue is the onshore wind. It’s still blowing in at 6 to 9 mph. The energy picks up a bit – on Monday 6 July afternoon it hits 741 (moderate wave energy) and Tuesday 7 July morning gets to 852 (moderate wave energy), which sounds like something might be happening, but the wave comment still says "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions." It’s just not coming together.

Thursday 9 July through Saturday 11 July, the swell drops back to a consistent 3ft from the SSW, but the wind swings to a cross-on from the SW at 9 mph. That’s chopping the surface up. The combined energy is still in the moderate range, between 507 and 652, but again, the surf is only marginal at best.

From Sunday 12 July onwards, it’s pretty much game over. The swell fades from 3ft down to just 1ft by the middle of the next week. The period drops too, to 13 or 14 seconds, and the wind is still on or cross-on. The combined energy plummets to between 169 and 377 (weak to moderate wave energy). The surf is described as poor or marginal. There’s a small spike on Friday 17 July morning with a 2ft swell from the SW at 19 seconds and a combined energy of 308 (moderate wave energy), but it’s still poor conditions. We’re talking a whole run of days with nothing worthwhile.

Honestly, for North Torrey Pines, this is one of those blank runs that happens. It’s a fairly consistent spot usually, but the forecasts are just not on our side this time. If you’re desperate for something on the water, the setup with the small chop and cross-winds might look more interesting for kite surfers than for a paddle surfer.

Keep the stoke, but maybe take a week off and wait for the next proper swell. The forecasts can always change, but as it stands, there’s nothing calling me to the water.

Rusty.

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