The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m looking at The South Jetty for the next 16 days, and I gotta be straight with you—it’s a tough stretch. The forecast is pretty flat and the wind is mostly messy, so there’s not a lot to get excited about. The swell energy is weak, under 100 (107) on the best days, and we’ve got a long gap where nothing’s worth paddling out for.

Wednesday, September 2nd and Thursday, September 3rd – The South Jetty is showing small swell at 2 ft to 1 ft from the SE. The wind is cross or cross-on, and the water is a warm 76°—that’s 4° warmer than normal, which is very unusual for this time of year. Feels more like summer. But the waves are tiny and the surfaces are choppy. Not worth the drive.

Friday, September 4th – Morning has a little 2 ft S swell with a short period of 6 seconds and a light offshore wind from the WNW. It’s clean but the energy is laughable at 28. It’s more of a knee-high paddle than a surf session.

Saturday, September 5th through Monday, September 7th – The swell drops further, with heights under 1 ft. The wind is all over the place—cross, cross-on, cross-off. The energy is down in the teens and twenties. There’s a short window on Monday morning with a light cross-off breeze and clean conditions, but the swell is only 1 ft. It’s a flat spell.

Tuesday, September 8th and Wednesday, September 9th – Still small. The morning of the 9th shows a 3 ft swell from the SSW, but the period is a pathetic 5 seconds. That’s windswell, not something you want to drive for. The energy is 65, still weak. The wind is cross-shore with a chop.

Thursday, September 10th – The best on offer in the whole forecast. The South Jetty (beach/jetty) gets a 3 ft swell from the S with a 6-second period, and the energy bumps up to 120 (moderate). The morning has a clean cross-off breeze from the WNW. The swell direction is from the S, which is not the optimum SE direction, but it’s the most size we’ll see. The afternoon is even cleaner with a moderate offshore wind. It’s still short period, so the waves will be a bit crumbly, but for this stretch, it’s the standout. Crowds are possible here, so you might have some company. This is the one to aim for if you’re keen.

Friday, September 11th through Sunday, September 13th – Back to small stuff. Saturday morning, September 12th, is glassy with a 3 ft ENE swell, but the period is only 5 seconds and the energy is 61. The comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and that’s about right. It’s a knee-high dribble with no push.

Monday, September 14th through Wednesday, September 16th – The swell drops to 0.7 ft to 2 ft. The wind is mostly cross-off or clean, but the waves are too small to ride. The energy is in the teens and twenties. Not worth suiting up.

Thursday, September 17th – The last day in the outlook shows a 0.7 ft swell from the ESE with a long period of 13 seconds. That’s groundswell energy, but there’s no height. The energy is only 26. It’s a tease.

Overall – The only day that might get your heart beating is Thursday, September 10th, with that 3 ft S swell and clean offshore wind. The rest is a long, flat grind with weak energy and not enough wave to push you down the line. The water is unusually warm, but that’s cold comfort when you’re sitting on a flat board. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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