Sunset Point/Vals Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Grab a coffee, because this 16-day look at Sunset Point/Vals Reef is a tough one to swallow.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: there are no good surf options on the table for the entire forecast period. The whole 16 days is a blank run. Every single row in the data comes back as "poor surf conditions," so we’re not paddling out for any quality waves. It’s a grim stretch.

The water temperature at the start of the period is sitting at a balmy 80°, which is about average for the time of year, so at least it’ll be comfortable if you’re just floating around.

Looking at the pattern, the first few days from Sunday the 2nd of August through the middle of the week are tiny. We’re talking 0.7 ft to 1.0 ft of swell, mostly from the north or west, with short periods around 7 to 9 seconds. The wind is a cross-shore breeze, which isn't helping the already flat, weak energy levels (combined swell energy is in the single digits or low teens – basically nothing). The surf is so small it's barely a ripple.

We get a little bump in energy around the 6th and 7th of August, with a 1.0 ft swell from the SW hitting a 14-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, which would normally be good news for a reef setup like this, but the height is still pathetic. The combined energy just barely touches 61 (moderate) on Thursday afternoon, but it’s still not enough to break properly.

The second week is a bit of the same story. From the 10th of August onward, the wind picks up – a consistent 15 to 22 mph cross-offshore breeze from the east. That’s actually a clean wind direction, which is a positive. The swell height climbs to a miserable 2 ft to 2 ft, and the period gets better, often hitting 14 to 16 seconds from the west. The combined swell energy starts showing three-digit figures like 106, 140, 172, and 173, which is moderate wave energy, but the height is just too small for a proper surf. At these sizes, the long period just means the waves will be weak and dribbly, not the powerful reef barrels we’d want.

By the end of the run, around the 15th and 16th of August, the wind swings back to a cross-shore, making the surface a bit lumpy. The swell energy stays moderate, but the height never gets above 2 ft. It’s frustrating to see decent energy and clean wind for so many days, but the wave height is a total non-starter.

Honestly, for a spot that’s very consistent, this is a real bummer of a stretch. It’s a rare, quiet period. The setup is probably more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddler right now, given the consistent cross-offshore wind and small but clean conditions. But for a surfboard? Not a single standout day. I'd keep an eye on the forecasts, because this kind of blank run for a place like this usually doesn't last forever.

Rusty.

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