Point Arena Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for us.

Straight up, the next week and a half is a bit of a grind. We’ve got a long stretch of mediocre to poor conditions, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Hang tight, because the real action is on Sunday, August 23rd.

For the first several days, from Sunday the 16th right through to Saturday the 22nd, it’s a real struggle. The swell is mostly small, between 3 ft and 8 ft, coming from the NW. The problem is the wind. It’s a persistent moderate to fresh NW breeze, mostly cross or cross-off, which keeps things from being terrible, but the energy is just low. The combined swell energy is weak to moderate (between 64 and 625). It’s just not worth paddling out for. You’ll be scratching for scraps.

Now, let’s talk about the standout. On Sunday, August 23rd, we finally get a window. The morning is a bit iffy with a SW wind and a decent 8 ft NW swell, but the afternoon is where it’s at. The wind goes glassy – a slight WNW air at just 3 mph – and the surf is still a solid 7 ft from the NW with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is strong (770). The forecast says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is your session. The wind will be clean, the waves will have some punch. Keep in mind, at this size, it’s getting into the intermediate-to-expert territory. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

After that, it’s a mixed bag. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are back to marginal, with the wind turning onshore or cross. The swell hangs around 5 ft to 6 ft, but it’s not clean. Then from Wednesday the 26th to Saturday the 29th, we get a building swell but the wind is a problem. By Thursday the 27th, the NW swell hits 10 ft to 12 ft with very strong energy (1472-2003), but it’s too big and the wind is howling from the NNW at 19 mph. That’s for experts only, and even then, it might be too much for the break. The rest of the month fades out into smaller, less clean conditions.

Bottom line: if you can wait for Sunday, August 23rd, that’s your best bet. It’s a glassy, clean, solid NW swell at Point Arena. Don’t waste your energy on the rest.

Rusty.

Read more