Point Loma Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Point Loma.

First off, the water is running a lot warmer than we’d expect for this time of year – 74°F with a anomaly of 6°F, so that’s very unusual. You’ll be in boardshorts for sure.

Right now, and for the first week, it’s looking pretty grim. We’ve got a weak, long-period swell (13-16 seconds) coming from the SW, but the energy is low. The waves are tiny, mostly 1ft to 2ft. The wind is cross-offshore, which is clean, but the swell just isn’t there. The combined energy sits around 120-225, which is just weak. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. You’ll be fighting for knee-high dribblers with a crowd. This goes on from Monday morning, August 3rd, right through the week.

We hit a rough patch from Friday, August 7th, through to Monday, August 10th. The swell picks up a little in period (up to 19 seconds) but the wind swings to the south, putting us in a cross to cross-onshore scenario. The energy jumps up to 300-400 (moderate), but the messages are all "poor surf conditions" and "marginal." The wave heights are still only 2ft to 3ft, and that long-period SW groundswell will be breaking straight and close out quick on a sheltered beach and reef setup. It’s a mess. Not worth paddling out.

Things start to look a little more interesting from Tuesday, August 11th, through the rest of the second week. The wind turns more offshore from the NW, especially on the 13th, 15th, and 16th. The swell is still small (2ft to 3ft), but it’s clean. The energy is moderate, hitting 260-490. The real standout comes on Friday, August 14th. The forecast is for "expect good surf conditions" – that’s the best rating we see. We’ll have a 2ft SW swell with an 18-second period, which is a long-period groundswell. The wind is WNW at 9 mph, a clean cross-off. The combined energy is 490 (moderate), the best of the whole run. It’s small, but it’ll be peaky and clean. The crowd is possible here, so get there early.

After that, Saturday, August 15th afternoon is another solid shout. The swell bumps up to 3ft from the SW, 16-second period, and a gentle offshore NW wind at 9 mph. That’s clean, groomed surf. The energy is 474 (moderate). It’s the biggest swell of the window, and with that offshore wind, it’ll be the best-looking waves of the whole outlook.

The last few days, the 17th and 18th, drop off again. The swell gets smaller, the wind turns cross-onshore, and the energy fades. It’s back to very ordinary conditions.

So, if you’re waiting for a wave, hold out for Friday, August 14th and Saturday, August 15th. Those are the only real standouts. The rest is a flat spell with a few clean but tiny days.

Rusty out.

Read more