South Del Mar Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at the surf outlook for South Del Mar.

Alright, I gotta be straight with you—this is a quiet stretch. Over the next 16 days, we’re looking at small, inconsistent surf with a lot of marginal conditions. The swell is rolling in from the SSW and SW, but it’s just not packing enough punch to get things firing properly at this reef break. The combined wave energy stays in the moderate range, mostly hovering between 200 and 600 (moderate energy), so there’s some life in the water, but it’s not gonna blow your mind.

The water temps are about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. Don’t expect any major standouts here, but let’s walk through the best of what’s on offer.

For Sunday the 16th, the best bet is the morning session. You’ve got a 3ft SSW swell rolling in with a 15-second period—that's a long-period groundswell, so there’ll be some energy between sets, but it’s a bit tricky. The wind is offshore from the WNW at 9 mph, which is a major positive for clean faces. The break is exposed to the swell, so it’s handling what’s coming. The crowd factor is something to keep in mind—it’s often busy here, so expect some company.

After that, things go pretty flat and messy. From Monday the 17th through to Friday the 22nd, we’ve got a real dry spell with swell dropping to as low as 2ft and a lot of cross-onshore wind. The waves are small and choppy, and honestly, not worth paddling out for most of us. There’s a gap of about five days where the conditions just aren’t cooperating.

Things start to look a bit more hopeful toward the end of the period. On Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th, the swell picks back up to 3ft from the SSW again, with a 16-second period. The wind is light and offshore from the WNW at 6 mph, so the surface should be clean. The combined energy bumps up to around 575–597 (moderate energy), which is the strongest we’ll see. This is the standout window—the morning of Saturday the 29th looks the cleanest. Keep in mind, it’s a reef break with that long-period swell, so the waves might reel off a bit straight, but with light offshore wind, it could be fun for a patient surfer.

Overall, don’t get your hopes up too high in the short term. The second week shows a little more promise, but it’s still on the small side. Keep an eye on the 29th and 30th—that’s your best chance for a decent session.

Rusty.

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