The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a seat. Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at The South Jetty over the next couple of weeks, and I’ll be straight with ya – it’s a tough stretch for us wave-riders.

We’re looking at a long, quiet run of tiny, weak surf with mainly poor quality. The pattern right now is small, short-period windswell, and it just doesn’t have the grunt to give us anything rideable. The water temp is a scorching 78°F, which is a whopping 7°F warmer than normal – that’s very unusual, you’d think we were in the tropics, but it doesn't help the waves.

The first real chance to even consider a paddle doesn’t come until Sunday the 13th of July. Before that, from now through Saturday the 12th, it’s a total blank. We’re talkin’ almost a full week where you’re better off staying home and waxing your board. The swell is tiny, mostly under 2ft, with combined wave energy barely hitting triple digits (typically 18 to 105). The wind is all over the shop – cross, cross-on, onshore – making it choppy or messy. There’s a glassy window on Monday morning the 6th and Friday morning the 10th, but with a 2ft to 2ft swell and a weak 5-second period, it’s just not worth the drive.

So, the one and only standout I can point you to lands on Sunday, July 13th, in the morning. It’s not a classic, but it’s our best shot. We’ve got a tiny 3ft swell from the South, with a short period (4 seconds) and weak energy (47). The saving grace is a light cross-shore breeze from the SW and clear skies. It’ll be small and weak, but at least the surface will have a chance to clean up. Don’t expect any power, but you might find a little ankle-slapper if you’re desperate. Crowds are *sometimes* a problem here, so you might have company on the tiny waves.

Following that, the pattern stays flat and poor right through to the end of the forecast window on the 20th. There’s a few sessions of offshore wind – Sunday the 19th afternoon and Monday the 20th – but with a minuscule 2ft to 2ft swell and a pathetic 4-to-5-second period, the combined energy is only 25 to 33. It’s practically a lake. If you’re a kite surfer, the consistent cross-off and onshore wind might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a bust.

To sum it up: we’ve got a long gap of nothing, one very marginal morning on Sunday the 13th, and then back to nothing. The takeaway? Wait for a better forecast.

Rusty.

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