The Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s brewing for The Jetty.

First up, the water is sitting about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on there. The Jetty is a sandbar setup, fairly exposed to swell, and it likes a SE direction best. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, and it’s fairly consistent for a wave, so that’s something.

Alright, looking at the whole 16-day window, I’ve got to be honest with you, mate. This is a tough stretch. There’s a massive gap of poor surf conditions from the start all the way through the middle of the month. We’re talking day after day of small, weak, messy waves. The combined swell energy is barely getting into double digits, mostly under 50 (weak energy), and the wind is all over the place – cross, cross-on, onshore – just not doing us any favours. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3 ft, with short periods, so it’s just not holding together.

The first real sign of life doesn’t show up until Thursday morning, September 10th. We get a little pulse of S swell at about 3 ft, with a moderate offshore wind from the WNW. That’s clean. The combined energy hits 65 (still weak), but it’s the best we’ve seen. The wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and I’d agree. It’s a window, but it’s not a standout.

Then we go back into the doldrums. Another long stretch of nothing until we get another short window on Friday morning, September 18th. A bit of ESE swell at about 2 ft, with a light offshore from the NW. Clean again, and the combined energy is 57 (weak). Again, surfable, but ordinary.

To be clear, there is nothing in this forecast that I’d call a real standout. The two best moments are the mornings of the 10th and 18th, and even then, the swell is tiny and the energy is low. It’s a beggars-can’t-be-choosers situation. The Jetty is fairly consistent, so it tends not to stay this flat for long, but this run is a proper dry spell.

Forget about bigger days. The swell never gets above 4 ft, so it’s not a problem for beginners, and there’s nothing for experts either. The periods are short, under 8 seconds most of the time, so it’s all windswell, not groundswell.

Honestly, with the small swell and persistent onshore or cross-shore winds, this setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer for most of the period.

So, my advice? Keep your board in the car, check the mornings of the 10th and 18th, but don’t get your hopes up. The rest of the time, you’re better off doing something else.

Rusty.

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