Point Dume Little Dume Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what we've got cooking for the next couple weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – we are looking at a pretty lean stretch here. Point Dume Little Dume is an exposed point, and it's picking up a long-period groundswell from the SSW all through the forecast, but the size just isn't there. We're stuck in a pattern of tiny, weak waves. The combined swell energy is mostly in that moderate range, but that's mostly the long period causing those numbers, not raw power.

The biggest issue is the wind. For the entire first week, every single session I see has a cross-onshore wind. It's not howling, often just a light breeze mixing up the surface, but that's enough to mess up these little 1ft to 3ft waves. The whole run from Thursday, August 13th through the following Sunday is basically a write-off for clean surf. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no weirdness there.

We don't even see a 'marginal' score until Saturday, August 15th in the morning, and even then it's a 1 out of 10 with a light cross-onshore. That's about the best we can say for that whole first week: borderline unrideable.

There's a glimmer of hope starting Monday, August 18th. We start seeing some 'marginal' scores in the mornings. The wind will be light, but it's still cross or cross-on from the SSE or SE. The swell drops a bit but holds around 2ft to 2ft with that long period. It's not going to be pumping, but for a log or a longboard, you might find a few wobbly ones.

Now, here's the interesting part. The rest of the window, from Wednesday, August 20th, flatlines. The energy drops off a cliff and stays low. Then we get to Sunday, August 23rd. The swell direction shifts slightly and the period jumps to 19 seconds, hitting that very long groundswell territory. The energy picks back up and the wind is completely offshore from the SW in the morning. This is the one. It's a long way out, so don't book the day off work yet, but that Sunday morning is the standout of the whole 16-day run.

The only real standout here is Sunday, August 23rd. Point Dume Little Dume (California) with a 1ft SSW groundswell at 19 seconds. Those numbers don't sound exciting, but a 19-second period on a point break with clean, offshore wind? That's a recipe for some beautifully peeling, glassy lines. It'll be small, maybe only knee to waist high on the sets, but it'll be the cleanest surf of the entire window by a mile. Just be aware that the long period might make it close out a bit on the inside sections, but for a mellow log session, that's the day.

A few days later, Monday, August 24th morning, also has light wind and a touch more size (2ft) with a 18-second period. It's a solid backup, but not quite as clean as Sunday.

This is your classic northern summer lull. It tends not to stay this flat for long, but for now, we're playing the waiting game. Set your alarm for the 23rd.

Rusty

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