The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, Rusty here. Let’s cut to it: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and grim for The South Jetty. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing on offer, and honestly, it’s going to be a test of patience more than anything. The good news? It won’t stay this way forever, and forecasts can always shift.

Looking at the whole picture, we’re talking about a serious dry spell. From now until the 19th of September, there’s basically nothing worth paddling out for. We’ve got a solid week-plus of dribble and closeouts, with the swell energy just plain weak. You’ll see readings like 9, 23, and 59 (weak energy), which tells you there’s just no push behind anything. The wind is all over the place, but mostly cross or onshore, so it’s messy too.

The first real glimmer of anything remotely interesting shows up on Thursday the 10th. Early morning, we get a modest bump to 5ft from the SSW, with a period of 6 seconds and moderate energy of 252 (moderate). It’s clean with a cross-offshore breeze, but the period is short and junky. That’s marginal at best, and not something to get excited about. After that, it drops right back to nothing.

We stay in the doldrums through the weekend and into the middle of next week. There’s a bit of swell around the 20th – Sunday the 20th afternoon sees 5ft from the E, with energy jumping to 163 (moderate) – but the wind is cross-onshore and lumpy, so it’s going to be a mess. Then Monday the 21st has the biggest swell of the whole run: 5ft from the E, with periods of 7 seconds and energy around 248 (moderate). But again, the wind is cross to cross-on, making it choppy and poor. This is not a standout; this is just the least bad option on a bad menu.

If I were to point to the single best window, it would be the morning of Monday the 21st. The swell is at 5ft from the E, period 7s, and the wind is cross-shore. It’s still not clean, but it’s the most size we’ll see. That being said, 5ft is okay for intermediates, but the short period means it’ll be crumbly and hard to link up. For the experts, it might be worth a look, but don’t expect magic.

Everything after that fades back down to tiny waves and onshores. The 22nd and 23rd are back to knee-high mush with cross-onshore winds. So yeah, this is a lean stretch. The South Jetty is a consistent spot, so a blank run like this is a bit of an anomaly, but it happens. I’d sit this one out for the most part, and if you’re desperate, the 21st morning is your only real shot at something rideable. But keep your expectations low.

The water is running at 77°F with an anomaly of 6°F warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s very unusual – it’s like bathwater out there. You won’t need a wetsuit, just boardies.

Alright, that’s the story. It’s a tough one, but we’ve been through worse. Keep an eye on the charts and don’t hold your breath.

Rusty out.

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