Riviera Shorebreak Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at Riviera Shorebreak. We’ve got a 16-day window, but honestly, it starts out pretty flat and messy. The first real day with anything worth paddling out for isn’t until Wednesday the 16th, and even that’s a slow-burn kind of setup. There’s a long gap of pretty ordinary conditions at the start, so don’t rush down there.

Monday the 14th is a write-off. Tiny 2 ft SW swell, but the wind’s cross-on and the energy is weak (285). The water is 89°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a proper anomaly, over 4° warmer, so you’ll be surfing in a warm bath. The surf is poor, so save your energy.

Tuesday the 15th is still marginal. A bit more push, up to 3 ft–3 ft SW, but that cross-on wind keeps things choppy. Wave energy climbs to 507 (moderate) in the afternoon, but it’s not clean. Not worth the drive.

Now, Wednesday the 16th morning is the first flicker of hope. A 4 ft SW swell with onshore wind, but the period is a healthy 16 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, and combined energy hits 736 (moderate). It’s still a “marginal” call, but it’s the first decent sized push. The break is Riviera Shorebreak, and this is a rare-breaking spot – it’s inconsistent and only fires when everything lines up. So a 4 ft, 16s SW swell with onshore wind is not its finest hour, but it’s the best start we get. The afternoon turns choppy again.

Thursday the 17th morning has a 3 ft SW swell, 14s period, and onshore wind. Energy is 578. Still marginal. The wind is light, which helps, but the break quality isn’t there.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Tuesday the 22nd of September morning is the standout. We get a 3 ft SW swell, 16s period, and the wind goes glassy – dead calm from the ENE at 3 mph. That is a huge positive. Expect very good surf conditions. The combined energy is 535 (moderate). For a spot that rarely breaks, having glassy conditions on a long-period SW groundswell is a treat. Because it’s a shorebreak, that long period means the waves will be powerful and well-shaped, but watch out for the occasional close-out. Crowds are possible here on a day like this. If you can only surf one session in the whole run, make it this one.

After that, the swell fades. We drop back to 3 ft by Wednesday the 23rd, and the wind comes back cross-on. The energy drops to the low-to-mid 300s (weak). Thursday the 24th through the end of the month is mostly poor, with the odd marginal window. On Sunday the 29th, there’s another brief glassy morning with a 2 ft, 18s SW swell and energy of 397 (weak). It’s a small long-period groundswell, and with zero wind, it’ll be clean but tiny. Only worth it if you’re desperate for a glassy session on a longboard.

Overall, it’s a lean run for Riviera Shorebreak. The single best bet is that Tuesday the 22nd morning window. That’s your only real standout. The rest is a mix of marginal, choppy, or just too small. This break is inconsistent, so a blank run like this isn’t unusual. Hang in there.

Rusty.

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