The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at The South Jetty over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this stretch is looking pretty flat and uninspiring for a good, long while. The water temp is sitting at 78°F, which is nearly 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s really unusual, feels like bathwater out there.

For Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th, there’s just tiny, weak dribble. We’re talking ankle to knee-high at best, with messy, cross-onshore winds making it a frustrating paddle for nothing. The energy is barely registering, with readings like 22 and 46 (weak wave energy).

We finally get a little window of something on Wednesday the 8th morning. The swell bumps up just a touch to 3 ft from the ENE with a short 6-second period. The wind goes light cross-offshore, so it cleans up a bit. The energy reading is 65 (weak to moderate). It’s surfable, but only just – very ordinary conditions. Honestly, it’s barely worth the wax.

The pattern stays the same through the rest of the first week and into the second. There’s a day on Saturday the 11th morning that goes glassy, with that offshore flow from the NW dropping to 3 mph. The swell is only 1 ft from the SSE though, and the energy is just 28. You might get a few cradle-robbing waves if you’re desperate.

The only real pulse of size shows up on Monday the 13th. Swell pushes up to 6 ft from the ESE with a 7-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 352 (moderate to strong wave energy). But, and it’s a big but, the wind is howling from the ENE at 19 mph, putting a lumpy, fresh cross-shore chop on it. That’s not clean surf; that’s a messy, bumpy washing machine. The exposed beach/jetty setup will be all over the place. For an intermediate, 6 ft is at the top end of fun but with that wind, it’s going to be a battle. Beginners should stay well away.

After that, it drops right back down again. There’s a brief moment on Thursday the 16th morning where it goes glassy again with 2 ft from the S, but the energy is low (60) and it’s just not enough to get excited about. The rest of the run out to the 21st is full of onshore wind, tiny swell, and low energy numbers.

To be honest, the standout – and I use the term loosely – is that Saturday the 11th morning. The glassy conditions are a major positive for clean water, even if the swell is tiny. If you just want to get wet and catch a couple of knee-high sliders, that’s your best bet. For any real push, you’re looking at the 13th, but know that it’s going to be a windy, lumpy mess only for experienced paddlers. The crowds are listed as "sometimes" here, so on that Saturday glass-off, you might have the place to yourself for the most part.

It’s a frustrating outlook, folks. A lot of waiting for not much reward. But for an exposed spot like this, it can turn around quick. Keep an eye on the sky.

- Rusty

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