Point Arena Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Howdy, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at Point Arena. This is a reef break that’s very consistent, picking up swell from the northwest. The water’s about average for this time of year.

The outlook kicks off with some small, marginal surf. Sunday, July 19, the morning has a 3-foot WNW swell with a 15-second period, but the wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s not clean. The combined energy is weak (596). The afternoon is a bit better with a 3-foot SW groundswell, 17-second period, but still cross-shore wind. Nothing to write home about.

Monday, July 20, is a washout in the morning with a 5-foot NW windswell, short 8-second period, and onshore wind – poor conditions. The afternoon is back to marginal with a 3-foot SW swell, 16-second period, but light cross-onshore.

From Tuesday, July 21, through Thursday, July 24, it’s a rough stretch. Tuesday is poor with a 4-foot NW windswell (8 seconds) and cross-shore wind, then a clean 3-foot NW swell later but still poor. Wednesday morning is tiny at 2 feet, and the surf quality is zero across the board. Thursday morning has a 3-foot NW swell, but the wind is messy. The best in this run is Thursday afternoon, July 23 – it’s clean with a cross-offshore wind, but the 4-foot NW swell is short period and the energy is moderate (289). Not worth rushing for.

The first real sign of life is Friday afternoon, July 24. A 3-foot SW groundswell with a very long 24-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 1064 (moderate). The wind is fresh and clean. But it’s still marginal due to tides. A patient surfer’s call.

The weekend of July 26-27 sees the swell building. Saturday, July 25, is poor with a 5-foot NW windswell. Sunday, July 26, has a 6-foot NW swell (7 seconds) but it’s clean with cross-off wind. It’s sizable but short period, so not the best shape. The best bet is actually Monday, July 28, Tuesday afternoon. The swell hits 12 feet from the NW with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is 1714 (strong). The wind is fresh and clean. But this is too big for this reef unless you’re a real expert. The data says it’s predicted to be too big for this spot.

Looking into the second week, from July 29 through August 3, the swell stays solid, mostly in the 8-foot to 12-foot range, with the wind consistently offshore or cross-off. The energy is very strong (over 1000) for most of these days. The standout for the whole 16-day period is Tuesday, July 28, afternoon – that 12-foot NW swell with 9-second period and clean wind is the biggest, most powerful wave of the forecast. But remember, it’s experts-only. The break is likely to be crowded, and the big swell, strong cross-off wind, and reef setup mean this is for the chargers.

For the rest of that week, the swell stays above 8 feet, so it’s experts-only territory. The morning of August 3 sees a 10-foot NW swell, but the wind turns cross-shore, adding a chop.

So, there’s a lot of swell on the charts, but the quality is often tricky. The one true standout is that Tuesday, July 28, afternoon session for the big-wave crew. The rest of the time, you’ll be waiting for the right tide and wind window.

Rusty.

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