Point Arena Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather 'round, crew. Rusty here, and I've got the lowdown on Point Arena for the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a mixed bag, so let's get into it.

First things first, the water at Point Arena is sitting at 51°, which is a whopping 5° colder than normal for this time of year. That’s a serious chill, so make sure you’ve got a thick wetsuit and booties if you're heading out. It's not just a little nippy; it's properly cold.

Looking at the overall pattern, the first week is a struggle. The swell is around 7 ft to 8 ft from the northwest, but the wind is a problem. Thursday morning kicks off with a light cross-onshore breeze and some messy, weak surf (1056 combined energy). It's surfable but marginal at best. Thursday afternoon goes clean, but then it's a fresh 19 mph cross-offshore wind that will be blowing the tops off. The whole first week is a grind of cross-shore and cross-offshore winds, with the energy never really feeling powerful or well-shaped. You'll see waves, but they'll be lumpy and blown out. The swell stays around 6 ft to 7 ft, which is okay for intermediates, but the quality just isn't there. Even when the wind flicks offshore, the period is a short 7 to 8 seconds, which means weak, soft waves without much push. By the 9th of July, the swell bumps up to 10 ft, but it’s getting hammered by a fresh 19 mph cross wind, making it a bumpy, difficult mess. That's expert-only territory if you're even thinking about it, and honestly, it looks more like a day for the kiteboarders than a paddle surfer.

The one true standout in this whole 16-day forecast is the 16th of July. Thursday afternoon, we get something special. A solid 3 ft swell rolls in from the west-northwest, but the magic is the period: 17 seconds. That's a proper long-period groundswell with real energy (817 combined energy). And the wind? Glassy. Absolutely glassy, with a slight air. This is that rare clean, lined-up, long-period swell that Point Arena lives for. The size is small, so it’s perfect for a longboard or a fish, and the crowd will likely be there because it’s such a clean window. This is your day. After that, the swell holds a little on the 17th, but the wind comes back onshore, so the magic is gone.

So here's the deal: grit your teeth through the first week and a half. The conditions are poor and the wind is unruly. Skip the whole first week; it's not worth the hassle. Your focus should be on that Thursday, the 16th of July. Mark it in your calendar. That afternoon glass-off with a long, clean groundswell is the only true standout on offer. It’s a promise of clean, peeling lines if you can get in the water.

Rusty.

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