Point Arena Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Howdy, Rusty here with the lowdown for Point Arena in feet and miles. We’ve got a long stretch of forecast ahead, so buckle up.

The 16-day window has a lot of noise, but the real juice comes late in the first week into the second. You gotta pick your days because the wind and tide are gonna be the deciding factor.

Tuesday, September 15 starts us off with a 7ft NW swell, but it’s short-period at 8 seconds. The wind is cross-shore in the morning and a stiff 15 mph cross-off in the afternoon. The wave energy is moderate (740-770), but the scores are low. Not worth the hassle.

Wednesday, September 16 is similar: 7ft NW swell, short period, with moderate energy (782-555). The morning is a bit cleaner with that 15 mph cross-off, but the afternoon gets messy. Still “marginal.”

The swell drops through Thursday, September 17 and Friday, September 18. That Friday brings in a very long-period 19-second swell from the SW, but it’s only 2ft. The energy is moderate (530-576), but at that size with such a long period, it’s just gonna slide by the reef. A poor surf day for sure. Saturday, September 19 is the same story: 2-3ft SW swell.

Now for the good stuff. Sunday, September 20 builds back to 7ft NW swell by morning, hitting 8ft with an 8-second period in the afternoon. The energy jumps to strong (1307). Winds are cross-off, so it’s clean, but the period is short and the rating is a 1. It’s building.

Monday, September 21 is the first real standout. The morning has 8ft of NW swell at 9 seconds with a light 6 mph cross-shore wind and strong energy (1507). The afternoon goes bigger: 10ft NW swell, 9-second period, with a 15 mph cross-off wind keeping it clean. The energy is very strong (2100). That’s a heavy, powerful day. At over 8ft, this is expert-only territory.

Tuesday, September 22 holds the size at 10ft with a longer 11-12 second period, making it even more powerful (energy up to 2993). The morning has onshore wind from the SSW, which will be a mess. The afternoon is cross-shore, but it’s still a 2 rating. Big, but tricky.

Things settle after that. Wednesday, September 23 drops to 7ft, but the afternoon is the hidden gem: 4ft of WNW swell at 10 seconds with glassy conditions (3 mph WSW wind). The energy is moderate (645), and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s your clean, fun window.

From Thursday, September 24 through Sunday, September 27, it’s a mix of 5ft to 8ft NW swells but the wind is onshore or howling cross-off at 25 mph. The 8ft on Friday, September 25 comes with onshore rain showers – a washout. The 25 mph cross-off on Saturday, September 26 is howling, earning a 0 score.

Monday, September 28 and Tuesday, September 29 finish the run clean. Monday afternoon is 3ft of WNW swell at a long 15 seconds with a light cross-off wind and “expect good surf conditions” (energy 527). Tuesday morning holds 3ft at 13 seconds, cross-shore but clean.

The standout for the power surfer is Monday, September 21 afternoon with that 10ft NW swell and clean wind. For a clean, fun session on the reef, Wednesday, September 23 afternoon with the glassy 4ft swell is your pick. The long-period swells late in the run will work best on the reef at Point Arena to line up nicely.

Water temp is about what you’d expect for this time of year.

Rusty, out.

Read more