The Patch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s chew on what The Patch has in store for us.

First off, the early part of this run is a total dud. From Wednesday the 12th through Friday the 14th, the conditions are just ugly. The wind is messy, mostly cross-onshore, and the swell is a weak, short-period 4ft to 4ft from the WNW. The wave energy is moderate (around 333 to 376), but it’s all bump and chop. Not worth getting wet for.

We hit a bit of a lull for a few days. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are only marginal. The swell drops to around 2ft to 3ft, but the wind is still cross or cross-onshore, keeping the surface messy. The energy is moderate (around 389 to 447), but it’s just not clean enough to get stoked on.

Things start to turn around on Monday the 17th afternoon. That’s the first time we see a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the WNW. The swell is a small 3ft from the SW with a nice 15-second period, but the energy is moderate (340). It’s only marginal, but it’s a sign of better things.

The clear standout, and the best session in this whole forecast, is Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th. The Patch is going to be glassy. The wind is a light, cross-offshore from the WNW – that’s a huge plus. The swell is a fun-sized 2ft to 2ft from the SW. The period is a solid 15 to 16 seconds, which is a proper long-period groundswell. It’ll have some real push and shape. The energy is moderate to strong (434 to 500). The water is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, sitting at 60°, which is a nice little bonus. This is a beginner-friendly wave, so bring the log. The crowd is "sometimes", so you might have a few friends out, but it won’t be packed.

After that, the outlook gets a bit fuzzy. Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st offer marginal conditions with some clean windows, but the swell is smaller and less consistent. Then on Friday the 21st afternoon, we see a spike in size to 6ft from the WNW, but the period tanks to a short 6 seconds. That’s a windswell, and it’ll be a bumpy, lumpy mess. The energy is moderate (416).

Looking further out to the weekend of the 23rd of August, Sunday the 23rd afternoon looks promising. The swell is 4ft from the WNW with a 9-second period, and the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the W. The energy is moderate (403). It’s a bigger wave, so it’s worth watching, but it’s a long ways off, so don’t bet the farm on it.

The final week sees a return to smaller, cleaner conditions from the SW. The best of that late run looks like Wednesday the 26th, with a 2ft to 3ft swell, a lovely 16-second period, light offshore winds, and clean faces. Classic small-wave fun.

So, for the best surf, lock in Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th. It’s not going to be a big swell, but it’ll be clean, lined up, and perfect for a relaxing session.

Rusty.

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