Point Arena Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up for Point Arena.

We’re looking at a pretty quiet start to the outlook period, and honestly, it stays that way for a good long while. The first few days are a no-go, with poor conditions and tiny swell. The real action, if you can call it that, doesn’t start to show until late in the first week and into the second, but it comes with a serious caveat.

Point Arena is a reef setup, and it’s very consistent with exposure to the NW. Right now, the water is sitting at 54°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are a write-off. You’re looking at tiny 2 ft to 4 ft swell from the SW and NW, with weak energy readings (200 and 255). The wind is a cross or cross-offshore, but the wave quality is just poor. Saturday the 8th starts to build. By Saturday afternoon, we’ve got a 8 ft NW swell (8 seconds) with clean cross-offshore winds, but the energy is still moderate at 717. Conditions are still described as marginal, so it’s not a day to get excited about.

Sunday the 9th is where things get interesting, but it’s for the right crew. The swell jumps to 10 ft from the NW, with a 9-second period. The combined energy climbs to 1355 and then 1646 in the afternoon. That’s strong wave energy. The winds are cross-offshore and clean. However, this is a big swell for a reef break. At 10 ft, we’re talking expert territory only. This is not a day for beginners. The same holds true for Monday the 10th through Tuesday the 11th, with swell holding between 8 ft and 12 ft and energy readings over 1000. Tuesday afternoon actually gets a high score for wind and tide being favorable, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break at 12 ft. So, while the conditions look clean, the size is a real problem.

Wednesday the 12th to Friday the 14th sees the swell slowly dropping from 10 ft down to 6 ft, but the wind starts to turn onshore or cross-onshore, which messes with the quality. The energy drops from 1709 down to 559. The standout period, if you’re an expert, is really the Sunday 9th to Tuesday 11th timeframe, where the swell is biggest and the winds are cleanest. But it’s a serious beast.

After that, from Saturday the 15th onwards, we’re back to small, poor surf. The swell drops below 3 ft, and the energy readings are pitifully low, often under 100. There’s a brief spike on Monday the 17th afternoon with a 1 ft, 17-second period swell, but that’s just a long-period groundswell with no size. The energy is only 116. It’s not worth paddling out for.

So, the bottom line: there’s no real "good" surf in the first week, and the second week offers a solid but oversized window for experts only. If you’re not an expert, you’re looking at a long stretch of flat to small, poor conditions that runs right through to the end of the outlook. The good news is Point Arena is very consistent, so this dead run won’t last forever.

Rusty.

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