Santa Ana River Jetties Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up for us. I’ll be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, lean run with very little to get excited about, so temper those expectations.

The whole 16-day window is pretty much a bust for quality surf. There’s a massive gap right from the start with nothing worth paddling out for. We’re talking about day after day of small, weak, and often choppy conditions. The first hint of anything that even sniffs at "rideable" doesn’t show up until Sunday the 20th of September, and even then it’s just barely hanging on.

For the first full week, from Sunday the 13th through Saturday the 19th of September, it’s a write-off. Swell is tiny, mostly around 1 ft to 2 ft, and the wind is constantly messing things up – cross-onshore, onshore, or just creating chop. The wave energy is weak, hovering between 144 and 395 (combined energy), which tells you there’s just no push. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on there. You’d be better off doing literally anything else.

Now, if you’re desperate, there is a very slight, and I mean *slight*, flicker of hope around the weekend of the 20th and 21st of September. The Santa Ana River Jetties (California) might see a tiny bump. We’re talking about 3 ft of swell from the SW, with a period around 18 seconds. That long period is a groundswell, which is nice in theory, but at this size and with a cross-shore or light cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be a challenge to find anything clean or rideable. The combined energy climbs a bit, hitting 483 on the morning of the 20th (moderate energy), but the forecast still calls it "marginal." Crowds are likely there, but honestly, with surf this poor, they probably won’t show up. This is the only time in the whole 16 days where you could even kid yourself into thinking about a paddle, but it’s not a standout by any stretch – it’s just the least terrible option.

After that brief, weak pulse, things go straight back to small, poor surf for the rest of the period through to Monday the 28th of September. Swell drops back to 2 ft to 3 ft, periods shorten, and the onshore wind returns. The energy drops back down into the 200-300 range. Honestly, for this area, a blank run like this isn’t totally abnormal. It’s a sheltered spot and needs a good push from the right direction, which just isn’t happening. Don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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