The Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for a proper paddle. The Jetty is our only option on the cards, and it’s a sandbar setup that’s fairly exposed to the swell.

Right now, starting from Tuesday, the 18th of August, we’ve got tiny waves. We’re talking knee-high at best, with a weak and short-period SE windswell. The combined energy is pitiful, barely reaching 52 (moderate energy) at its best on Tuesday afternoon, but it’s blown out by onshore winds. It’s poor.

We’ve got a dry spell here. From the 18th right through until the morning of Monday, the 24th of August, there’s nothing worth paddling out for. The wind is all over the place – cross-shore, onshore, and even a few glassy moments on Friday the 21st morning, but that swell is just 1 foot. You’d be floating.

Monday the 24th morning finally shows a glimmer. The swell is still just 3 ft from the S, but it’s glassy. The combined energy is a weak 63, and the comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s a 1 out of 10. For a beginner, maybe, but it’s not something to get excited about. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing wild.

And then we’re back into the doldrums. The next week is a mess of onshore winds and weak, choppy surf. The wind is mostly from the SSE or SSW, keeping the surface messy. The swell stays tiny, under 3 ft, with short periods.

Now, into the second week, things get a bit more interesting but still not good. On the 26th of August, the swell period jumps to 16 seconds (a very long period groundswell) and the combined energy hits 149 (moderate), but the swell height is only 2 ft with onshore wind. Those long-period waves will be wrapping, but there’s just not enough height to do anything with. The same pattern continues on the 27th with a 12-second period and energy hitting 198.

The real tease comes right at the end. On Monday, the 31st of August, the morning shows a 6 ft swell from the E with a 7-second period and a combined energy of 254 (strong wave energy). The wind is light and cross-offshore, making it clean. This is the standout. This is the one you’d circle on the calendar. It’s still a fairly short period, and at 6 ft, it’s getting a bit big for total beginners, but for a competent surfer on a sandbar, that’s a fun, punchy wave. The only catch is that by the afternoon, the wind swings onshore and the whole thing gets chopped up. So, it’s a dawn-patrol special, and it’s over a week away, so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Overall, it’s a long, flat run with a single, promising but not guaranteed, window at the very end. Not much to write home about.

Rusty.

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