The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for a proper surf. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak swell and mostly onshore or cross-shore wind, so if you’re after anything with real push, you’re going to be waiting a while. There’s a lot of flat, gutless energy out there, and the few moments of clean conditions are on waves that are barely worth the paddle.

We’re starting off at The South Jetty. The water’s sitting at a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, about 77° – just a hint above average. Friday morning has a weak 2ft of south swell with a short 5-second period, and the wind’s cross from the southwest. It’s messy, choppy, and the wave energy is weak (53). Not worth suiting up for. The afternoon goes downhill, cross-on and only 3ft, even less energy (32).

Saturday is more of the same – a slightly bigger pulse at 3ft but still a short 6-second period. The energy bumps to 117, but the wind is cross and it’s still poor. Sunday morning is the first time it cleans up a bit. The wind turns cross-offshore, the waves are 3ft from the south, and it’s described as surfable but very ordinary. Still, with that weak energy (55), you’d be surfing whitewash more than anything else. Afternoon chops back up.

We slide into Monday and Tuesday with the swell dropping to 2-2ft. Early Tuesday morning there’s a whisper of cross-offshore wind and a clean surface, but the waves are tiny (2ft) with almost no energy (18). Not worth the effort. The middle of the week stays flat – Wednesday morning has a 1ft bump with offshore wind, but it’s just nothing. Then Thursday brings onshore wind and a storm risk, so forget it.

The next several days – from the 13th through the 18th – are a real dead zone. Swell hovers around 1-2ft, mostly from the southeast with short periods. There are mornings of glassy conditions, like the 18th with 1ft and glass, but the swell is so weak and short-period it’s barely breaking. The energy values are mostly in the teens and twenties, which is just pitiful. You’d be floating more than surfing.

There’s a slight kick on the 16th – Sunday – with the swell direction shifting and a 3ft wave showing up with 60 energy and a clean cross-offshore wind in the afternoon. But it’s still short-period (5 seconds) and the size is marginal. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but that’s not saying much.

Into the final week, the 19th and 20th have a bit more period – 9-10 seconds – but the size is stuck at 1ft. The wind is mostly cross-on or cross, so it’s choppy and lumpy. Thursday the 21st sees some cross-off in the morning, but the swell is only 1ft with 9-second period. Still nothing. The last day we’ve got – the 22nd – starts off glassy with 1ft, but it’s a weak 5-second swell, so the whole run ends as it began – flat and frustrating.

Honestly, there is no standout in this entire window. The only thing remotely rideable is that Sunday morning on the 9th, but it’s still poor. If you’re a beginner, you’d be wasting your time – the waves are too small to even learn on. For anyone else, this is a board-in-the-car-see-you-next-week kind of forecast. The lack of any decent swell and the persistent wind means the South Jetty is just not doing anything for us. Keep the hopes low, and maybe check back in a few days – these forecasts can turn, but right now, it’s a flat spell.

Rusty out.

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