The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at The South Jetty.

Truth is, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty quiet. This is a beach/jetty spot that’s open to the southeast, and the swell is just not showing up. The water’s sitting at 25° which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so it feels nice if you’re just hanging out, but for surfing? It’s a long dry spell.

We start off Wednesday the 26th with a tiny 0.4m SE swell, period 9 seconds, and glassy conditions in the morning – but the combined energy is only 29, so it’s barely a ripple. That pattern keeps going through the rest of the week and into the first days of September: tiny swell, often choppy or cross-onshore, and nothing worth paddling out for. There’s a brief moment on Friday morning the 28th where the swell bumps to 0.7m, period 8 seconds, and the wind goes light offshore (cross-off) – combined energy hits 101, which is still weak. It’s clean, but the waves are very ordinary. Not a standout.

Honestly, the whole first week is a bust. We go through the 29th, 30th, 31st, and into September 1st and 2nd with nothing but tiny, weak swell and poor conditions. A couple of glassy windows on the 31st afternoon and the 2nd September morning, but the swell is just too small to bother.

Now, heads up – around the 6th and 7th of September, we see a bit more energy come in. On Sunday the 6th, the swell picks up to 0.9m from the east, period a short 7 seconds, and combined energy hits 163. And on Monday the 7th morning, we’ve got 0.7m east swell with a period of 11 seconds, energy at 153. The problem? The wind is cross or cross-onshore, and the conditions are lumpy and choppy. That’s a kite-surfing setup, not a paddle session.

The only real bright spot – and I mean the only one – is the morning of Tuesday the 8th of September. We’ve got 0.5m east swell, but the period is a solid 13 seconds, so it’s a long-period groundswell. Combined energy is a moderate 155. The wind is glassy, dead calm. That’s the best window in the whole 16 days: clean, glassy, a little bit of energy. But it’s still small, and the break is a beach/jetty, so that long period might make it a bit walled and straight. Still, for a quiet paddle, it’s the best on offer.

After that, the 9th and 10th of September have clean offshore winds from the northwest and west-northwest, with swell around 0.6m to 0.8m, period 10-12 seconds, and energy in the 83 to 184 range. The conditions are clean, but the waves are very ordinary. Not a standout.

So, the bottom line: the whole 16-day window is a flat spell. The only day that’s even worth a look is Tuesday the 8th of September, early. It’s not going to be pumping, but it’ll be clean and glassy with a touch of groundswell. For the rest, you’re better off waiting for the next change.

Rusty.

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