Point Arena Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks here at Point Arena. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, we’ve got a long stretch of nothing much to write home about before we see a glimmer of hope way out there.

The water temperature is running about 55°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year—about 3° cooler. So you’ll want a good wetsuit if you’re heading out.

Right now, through the first several days, it’s all pretty grim. There’s surf, but it’s small, messy, and the wind is just not cooperating. The combined swell energy is weak, sitting around 165 (weak energy) on Friday morning, and it doesn’t get much better. We’ve got a mix of cross-on and cross-off winds, but the swell is short-period (7 seconds) and just doesn’t have any punch. The wave heights are hovering around 3ft to 5ft, but it’s choppy and wind-affected. There’s a brief moment on Saturday afternoon where the swell drops to 2ft with a 13-second period, but that’s just too small to do anything with. Honestly, this first week is a write-off for decent waves.

We then hit a gap of several days with no real recommendations. The surf stays poor, with small, short-period swell and bumpy conditions. The wind is mostly cross-off but still fresh, and the waves are just not forming up. It’s not until Wednesday, August 19th, that we see a slight uptick—the swell picks up to 7ft from the northwest, and the period stretches to 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 721 (moderate energy), and the wind is clean cross-off. But it’s still rated as marginal, with questionable tide conditions. It’s not a standout, but it’s the first sign of life.

The best bet on offer, and I mean the only real standout, comes way down the line on Friday, August 28th. The morning session shows a solid 8ft of northwest swell, with a 9-second period. The combined energy is a massive 1960 (strong to very strong wave energy), which is the biggest we’ve seen in the whole outlook. The wind is cross-shore, which is a bit of a bummer, but for a spot like Point Arena (a reef break that’s very consistent and handles a northwest swell well), this is going to be a big, powerful day. The afternoon cleans up a bit with cross-off winds, but the energy drops to 987. Still, this is the one to circle. The swell direction is right on the money for this spot—directly from the northwest, which is its optimum. Be warned though, at 8ft, this is expert territory. It’s going to be a big, heavy wave.

The rest of the second week has some 6ft to 7ft days, but nothing that compares to that August 28th morning. The Sunday before that, August 23rd, shows 7-7ft but with cross-on or cross winds, so it won’t be as clean. The very end of the outlook, around August 27th afternoon, shows another 8ft day with a long 8-second period, and clean wind, but it’s still a marginal call.

So, in short: the first week is a dud. Mid-week around August 19th is a slight improvement, but still nothing special. The real standout, the one to get excited about, is the morning of Friday, August 28th, with a big, powerful northwest swell. It’s a long way off, so treat it as promising but not set in stone. For now, the Point is quiet, but that one day is worth watching.

Rusty.

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