Ponto Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get stuck into it. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for any kind of proper surf. We’ve got a long stretch of blown-out, messy conditions with a lot of wind straight onshore. The swell is there, but it’s small and the wind is just killing any chance of it shaping up.

We’re looking at a solid gap of over a week with nothing worth paddling out for. The waves are all in that ankle to knee-high range, mostly 1.5ft to 3ft, with a few pulses trying to push through on the 14th and 15th. The main issue is that onshore wind is the story for most of this period. It’s a lot of W and WSW wind, which is cross-on at best and just plain onshore most of the time. You’re gonna be fighting a bumpy, messy surface.

The swell direction is all over the place, coming from the SSW and SW, and the energy is mostly weak to moderate. You’ll see the combined energy values creeping up a bit around the 14th and 15th, hitting the 500-700 range, but that’s like a bigger ripple in a puddle. The period is decent, mostly 14-18 seconds, but that just means the waves are fat and sectiony, not that they’re any good. This long-period groundswell is a bit of a double-edged sword for a river mouth like Ponto (San Diego). It can make it break too straight, and with the onshore wind, it’s just a mess.

The first couple of days, the 8th and 9th, are a total write-off. Then it’s just more of the same, day after day. There’s a brief moment on the 14th morning where the wind is light and the swell is a bit more energetic, but it’s still only about 2ft and the forecast is marginal at best. The 15th sees swell size bump up to 4ft in the afternoon, but the wind is cross-onshore and it’s still messy. It’s not worth getting excited about.

Honestly, if you’re keen for a paddle, you might be better off looking at a kite. With this much onshore wind and small, lumpy surf, that setup looks way more fun than trying to get a wave on a surfboard. The water is a balmy 75.4°, which is a full 7.6° warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won’t freeze while you’re getting skunked.

The 16th through the 23rd is just a continuation of the struggle. The swell stays small, under 3ft, and the wind just won’t let up. It’s a long, flat, and bumpy stretch. There’s nothing here that’s going to get the heart rate up. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, this is a blank run. Keep the board in the car and the wax in the drawer.

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