Pacific Beach Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at Pacific Beach Point for the next couple of weeks.

First thing you gotta know: the surf situation here is pretty grim for a paddler. The waves are tiny and the wind is never quite right. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, weak, and choppy conditions right through to the end of the month and into early October. There’s no decent swell on the horizon, just constant cross-onshore wind messing up whatever little bumps show up.

Let’s start from today, 14 September. Swell is a pathetic 3 ft from the west, with a period of 10 seconds, and combined energy is moderate at best (388). The wind is onshore, making it a write-off. The water temperature is 73°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year—about 5° above average, so it’s noticeably balmy, but that’s no consolation when the waves are junk.

Tuesday the 15th sees it drop even further, with 2 ft and 1 ft swells, long period up to 20 seconds, but the energy stays moderate (260-348) and the wind is onshore. Total dud.

Wednesday the 16th through the 18th? Same story. Swells hovering around 2 ft to 3 ft, moderate energy (283 to 480), but the wind goes cross-onshore and stays there. Small, weak, choppy. Not worth paddling out.

Now, heading into the weekend of the 19th and 20th, we get a little bump in energy, hitting 529 and 539, with 3 ft swell from the southwest, period around 18 seconds. The forecast says “marginal” for these days. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s not clean. You might find a groveler wave on a good tide, but honestly, it’s poor.

Monday the 21st sees the energy peak at 607, still with 3 ft swell from the southwest, 17-second period. The wind is onshore in the morning and cross-onshore in the afternoon. It’s still marginal. This is probably the best-looking moment in the whole run, but “best” is a low bar. It could be rideable, but it won’t be quality.

After that, from the 22nd right through to the 29th of September, it’s a slow decline. Swell drops back under 3 ft, energy fades from 455 down to 241, and the wind stays cross-onshore or onshore. The combined energy values are still in the moderate three-digit range, but the wave quality is consistently poor. A few morning sessions on the 25th and 27th are flagged as marginal, but with rain showers and light cross-onshore winds, it’s not inspiring.

The bottom line? There’s no standout session here. The best of a bad lot is probably Monday the 21st of September, when the energy is highest and the swell is 3 ft from the southwest with a long period. But even then, the wind is wrong, and the waves will be lumpy and weak. If you’re a beginner looking for a tiny, onshore day to practice, you might scrape by. For anyone else, save your energy. Kite surfers might find something in that constant cross-onshore breeze, but for a paddle surfer, this outlook is a bust.

Stay patient. This is a flat spell.

Rusty.

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