The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s switch over to feet and Fahrenheit for those who think in fractions of an inch.

Well, grab a coffee and pull up a chair, because this next stretch is a tough one. I’ve been staring at The South Jetty (beach/jetty) and honestly, for the next 16 days, there’s nothing that gets the heart pumping. The surf is flat to tiny, the conditions are messy, and every single time window has been marked as poor. We’re looking at over two weeks of barely a ripple.

It starts right now—Sunday the 12th—with a tiny 2 ft easterly bump, but the wind is a cross-on ESE breeze at 9 mph, so it’s choppy and unappealing. The water is a very warm 76°F, which is over 4°F warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a strange feeling for a spot that’s supposed to have a bit of swell.

Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th are no better. We’re stuck with 2 ft to 1 ft, and winds swing from onshore to cross-shore, but the energy is weak (combined energy values between 27 and 45—barely a pulse). The period is short too, around 5 or 6 seconds, so even if there was size, it’d be mushy.

There is a glimmer of relief mid-week. Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th see cross-offshore winds from the west—clean conditions! But it’s only 1 ft to 2 ft from the south and southeast, with combined energy still in the teens and twenties. That’s a longboard or a flat day. For an intermediate, you’d be fighting for ankle-biters.

Friday the 17th through to the end of the month? More of the same. A few mornings with clean-looking wind, but the swell never breaks 2 ft. By Monday the 20th, we finally see a pulse: a 4 ft south swell in the morning, building to 5 ft by the afternoon with combined energy jumping to 156. That’s the most energy we’ll see in the whole window. But it’s a short-period 6-second windswell, straight from the south, with a cross-onshore wind at 12 mph. That means choppy, messy lines. There’s a very brief moment on Tuesday morning the 21st where the swell is 4 ft and the wind is cross-shore, but it’s still just 6 seconds and the energy is 95—moderate at best. Nothing clean for a proper ride.

After that, it fades back into nothing. Wednesday the 22nd to Monday the 27th is a long, drawn-out stretch of 2 ft and below, with cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions. The last few days—morning of Friday the 24th through to the 27th—are just 1.0 ft to 2 ft, with the occasional fresh breeze gusting to 19 mph. At that point, kite surfers might have some fun in the lump, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a solid pass.

Bottom line: There is no standout. The best of a bad bunch is the Monday the 20th to Tuesday the 21st pulse, where you might get a 5 ft wave with 6-second period, but it’s wind-affected and messy. Everything else is below 3 ft and either onshore or choppy. Honestly, this is a normal blank run for the area—when it’s flat, it stays flat. Don’t hold your breath; forecasts can change, but right now, leave the boards in the car.

Rusty.

Read more