Point Leo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Point Leo, and let me tell you, there’s some real potential in the weeks ahead, but you’ve gotta pick your moments. The water’s sitting at 56°F right now, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no nasty surprises when you hit the water.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but things kick off proper on Friday, August 21st. The morning is looking tidy with a 4ft swell from the WSW, a 15-second period, and a solid offshore wind. The combined energy is moderate (1078), and the waves should be clean and well-shaped. That’s a solid session for any level.

Friday afternoon is still okay, but the real fire starts on Saturday, August 22nd. The swell jumps to 7ft from the SW on Saturday morning, but the wind goes cross-offshore, so it’s not as clean as we’d like. Saturday afternoon, the swell hits 12ft from the SW – that’s a big one, and the wind is cross-shore with some lumpy chop. That’s expert territory only, and honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The standout of the whole forecast? Sunday, August 23rd. Hands down. Sunday morning you’ve got a 8ft SW swell (period 14 seconds) with a gentle offshore wind from the NW. The combined energy is strong (2476). That’s excellent surf for experienced surfers. And then Sunday afternoon, it goes glassy – wind is 3 mph from the west, 7ft SW swell, still 14-second period. That’s perfect, clean reef waves. That’s the one you circle on the calendar.

Monday, August 24th and Tuesday, August 25th drop off a bit – around 5ft to 5ft SW swell, clean enough but nothing special. Tuesday afternoon gets messy with a strong cross-shore SW wind, so skip that.

Wednesday, August 26th sees a big 10ft SW swell on the morning, but the wind is cross-off and the period drops to 11 seconds – still clean, but it’s for experts only. That afternoon, the wind turns cross-shore, so it’s lumpy.

Thursday, August 27th is small again, around 3ft to 4ft SW swell, clean but weak.

Now, Friday, August 28th brings a fresh offshore NNW wind and a 7ft SW swell, but here’s the kicker – the period is 18 seconds. That’s a proper long-period groundswell. At a reef setup like Point Leo, that’s going to mean long, clean lines and big gaps between sets. Combined energy is strong (2661). It’s a premium session for experienced surfers, but be ready for the lulls.

Saturday, August 29th and Sunday, August 30th are poor – strong cross-shore winds, lumpy, and not worth paddling out.

Then we get another run of good stuff. Monday, August 31st and Tuesday, September 1st both have excellent morning sessions. Monday morning has a 5ft SW swell (14 seconds) with a gentle offshore NW wind – clean and fun. Combined energy is moderate (1358). Tuesday morning brings a 7ft SW swell, 16-second period, and a moderate offshore WNW wind – that’s another strong-energy standout (2230). Both are excellent for experienced surfers.

Wednesday, September 2nd is also top-notch: 7ft SW swell, 16-second period, offshore NNW wind, combined energy 2325. Clean and powerful.

The rest of the first week of September drops off – Thursday, September 3rd is small and windy, but Friday, September 4th and Saturday, September 5th have some promise. Friday, September 4th morning has a 4ft SW swell, 16-second period, and a gentle offshore wind – combined energy 1994. Clean and fun. Saturday, September 5th morning has a big 8ft SW swell, 17-second period, and a strong offshore wind – combined energy 4434. That’s massive, but wind is strong, so paddling in will be tough. That’s for experts only.

Bottom line: the best windows are Sunday, August 23rd (the standout), Friday, August 28th, and the Monday through Wednesday run from August 31st to September 2nd. The swell is mostly from the SW, which is the optimum direction for Point Leo, so the reef will be working. Just watch for the long-period swells – they make for long clean walls but also long waits between sets.

Rusty

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