Tamarack Ave. Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

So, straight up, the pattern is pretty flat and grim for the immediate future. The swell is small, the wind is stubbornly cross or onshore, and the surf quality is marginal at best. We’re looking at a long stretch of nothing special. The first real tiny glimmer of something better doesn’t show up until the very end of the run.

For the first week and a half, from now through to the 28th of August, it’s a real desert. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3 feet, with a long period (14-19 seconds) that carries a bit of energy, but the direction is all wrong, coming from the SSW, which is not the optimum W for Tamarack Ave. (Carlsbad). The combined energy is weak, sitting in the low hundreds (between 194 and 580). The wind is a constant light cross-on or onshore breeze, which keeps the surface a little bumpy, not clean. It’s just not worth paddling out for. The water temp is a whopping 73.6° Fahrenheit, which is 5.6° warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s very unusual, but you won’t be needing a wetsuit, just a board you don’t mind sitting on.

Even the standout event, which is more of a “last chance” than a classic, happens on the 28th of August. The Friday afternoon shows a pulse of swell pushing up to 4.3 feet from the SSW, with a period of 16 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 1044 (moderate to strong), which is a real jump from the flatness before it. The breeze is light cross-on, so it might clean up a little. This is the best on offer, but it’s still only a marginal call. The Saturday morning, the 29th, is similar, with 3.6 feet at 18 seconds, but it’s a bit smaller. For a spot that’s exposed to the west, this SSW swell won’t wrap in perfectly, and the cross-on wind will keep it from being glassy. It’s a long-range promise, so don’t book the trip yet, but it’s the only window where you might find a few rideable, albeit not perfect, waves.

Overall, don’t expect much. This is a proper flat spell. The only real hope is that last weekend in August, and even then, keep your expectations low. The rest is a write-off.

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