San Clemente State Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. I’ve been staring at the charts for San Clemente State Park and, I gotta be straight with you, it’s a bit of a tough stretch. We’ve got a window here that’s just not shaping up to be much of a party. The next 16 days are looking pretty grim for any real quality.

For the first four or five days, we’ve got a weak, short-period southwest swell. We’re talking chest-high at the very best, with the energy values hanging down in the 300s and 500s – that’s weak, barely a pulse. The wind is mostly cross-onshore, keeping things lumpy and uninviting. There's some light southerly wind on Thursday the 3rd, making it a bit messy. This is a beginner spot anyway, and with conditions like this, it's a wash.

Now, there is a pulse of slightly bigger swell that shows up for the weekend of the 6th and 7th of September. That south-southwest groundswell bumps the size up to a solid 6ft to 7ft, and the energy jumps right up into the low-to-mid 1400s. That’s more like it. The period is a bit short, only 14 seconds, but it’s the biggest we’ll see. The problem is, the wind is still on it, mostly onshore or cross-onshore, which will keep it a bit ragged. For a beginner break, with waves over 5ft, this is starting to get too much. It will be a fun, punchy, maybe even heavy day for the better surfers out there, but not the clean, glassy perfection you’d want to call a standout. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

After that, things just fall off a cliff. From the 8th through to the 18th of September, it is a slow death. The swell drops back down to under 3ft, and the energy sinks back into the 200s and low 500s. The period is all over the place, from short and weak to some long-period stuff that just doesn't have any size behind it. There’s a couple of days with lighter winds, like the 9th and the 16th, which will help clean it up, but with ankle to knee-high dribble, clean doesn’t matter much. It's just poor. The 17th sees the wind pick up from the west with a moderate breeze, so that’ll just add to the chop.

So here’s the honest truth: there are no real standouts in this entire 16-day window. The best of a bad bunch is the Sunday the 7th – that’s the pick of the litter, and even then, it’s just a "might be fun if you're desperate" kinda day. This spot is consistent, but it’s just not going to be good. It won't stay poor forever, but right now, you're better off finding something else to do.

Rusty

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