The Wedge Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a 16-day window, but to be straight with you, it’s a tough stretch for waves. The first real call comes on Monday afternoon, the 24th of August, but even that’s a scratchy one.

The overall pattern is one of small, inconsistent energy with a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind messing things up. The combined energy figures are all over the place, from very weak to moderate, but the wind just won’t let it come together cleanly for long.

The main spot on the radar is The Wedge, a breakwater wave that’s only for the advanced crew. It’s fairly consistent but can get packed (crowds are “often”). The water temp is sitting at 73°F, which is a good 6°F warmer than average for this time of year – that’s a real anomaly, way warmer than usual. The optimum swell direction here is out of the SSW.

Monday 24th August is where we start. The Wedge has a tiny 2ft SW swell with a super long period of 17 seconds. That’s a long period groundswell, which is good for this kind of setup, but the wind is a cross-shore W at 9 mph, and the wave comment sums it up: “poor surf conditions.” The combined energy is just 267 – that’s weak. Not a goer.

Tuesday 25th August brings a bit more size, with a 2ft to 2ft swell, but it’s cross-on wind and labeled “marginal.” The combined energy is creeping up to 345 (Swell direction S, period 13 seconds) but it’s still not clean.

Wednesday 26th August is a tease. The Wedge gets a 4ft S swell with a 13 second period, and the combined energy jumps to 706 (moderate energy) on the morning. But the wind is onshore from the S at 6 mph, and it’s cloudy with “poor surf conditions.” By the afternoon, it’s still onshore. This one’s a miss.

Thursday 27th August has the swell dropping to 4ft, still S, with cross-on winds. The combined energy is 451 but the conditions are flagged as poor.

Friday 28th August is our first and only real standout of the first week. On the morning, The Wedge sees clean conditions. The swell is 2ft from the SSW, period 17 seconds, and the wind is a light cross-offshore WNW at 6 mph. The wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” The combined energy is 385 (moderate). It’s small, but it’s the cleanest window we get. The water is flat and lined up. This is the one to pencil in if you’re local and keen.

The rest of that weekend into the start of September is a wash. From Saturday 29th August through Tuesday 1st September, it’s all onshore or cross-on wind, with swell between 2ft and 4ft. Most days are rated “poor” or “marginal.” The combined energy spikes to 709 on Saturday afternoon, but the wind ruins it. A few long period pulses (16-17 seconds) pop up, but they’re onshore or cross-on – frustrating.

Moving into the second week, there’s a gap from Tuesday 1st September afternoon right through to Tuesday evening – nothing worth calling out.

Friday 4th September afternoon is a glimmer. The Wedge shows 4ft from the SSW, period 17 seconds, combined energy of 839 (moderate), and a cross-off wind from the WSW at 9 mph. It’s still listed as “marginal,” but the energy is building. Keep an eye on it.

Saturday 5th September afternoon is the second real standout. The Wedge has 3ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, combined energy of 504, and light cross-offshore WNW wind at 6 mph. The wave comment is “expect good surf conditions.” Clean, small, but rideable.

Sunday 6th September morning is also clean – 3ft from the SSW, period 14 seconds, combined energy of 360, and a cross-off WNW wind at 9 mph. It’s small but clean.

After that, Monday 7th September and Tuesday 8th September go back to onshore and poor conditions, with the swell fading into the 2ft to 3ft range.

So in the end, the only two true standouts are Friday 28th August morning and Saturday 5th September afternoon. The Wedge is all we’ve got, and it’s for experts only – this is not a beginner wave. If it’s too big (over 5ft), it’s too much for most, but we never hit that here. For the rest, you’re waiting on wind shifts. The long period groundswells we see (15-20 seconds) will give good shape at this breakwater setup, but the wind has to play ball.

Stay patient. It’s a quiet run.

- Rusty

Read more