The Well Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, Rusty here. Let’s talk about The Well and what’s coming down the pipe for the next couple weeks. This is a proper reef break that loves a south swell and a northern breeze, and we’ve got some real juice heading this way, but we gotta wade through some messy days to get to the good stuff.

The first real session kicks off on Saturday the 12th. That morning you’ve got a solid SW groundswell running overhead at about 12 feet, with a long 15-second period that gives the waves some real push. A light north wind is blowing offshore, keeping the faces nice and clean. The water’s running about 57°F, which is just about what you’d expect for this time of year. Saturday afternoon turns to glass with barely a breeze, swell drops to about 10 feet but it’s still real pretty out there. Crowds are a “sometimes” thing here, so you might see a few heads, but it’s manageable.

Sunday the 13th has the swell still solid at around 7 feet, but the wind cranks up to 25 mph from the north. It’s still offshore but that’s a stiff breeze, makes the surface a bit tricky. Still surfable for the guys who know the place.

Then it gets ugly for a stretch. Monday the 14th through the middle of the week is mostly a write-off. Swell drops, winds turn cross-shore or onshore, and we get a nasty cross-chop. Tuesday the 15th is plain nasty – rain and wind trashing a blown-out 15-foot swell. That’s big and messy. Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th are still big with 15-foot down to 10-foot sets but the onshore wind just chops it all up. Friday the 18th gives a little break with 7-foot to 8-foot waves and some cross-off wind, but it’s nothing special. Saturday the 19th is blown out again.

From Sunday the 20th to Tuesday the 22nd, there’s a bit of a lull in quality. Swell’s there but wind’s wrong. But don’t go anywhere.

Now here’s the one that gets the blood pumping. Tuesday the 22nd of September. The morning is absolute insanity. Flat calm – glassy conditions with a whisper of a NE breeze. A clean, massive 20-foot SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period is just pouring in. The energy is off the charts (17,727). The catch? It’s so big the forecast says it’s too big for this break. This is a big-wave day for the serious chargers only. If you’re not a pro, just watch from the cliff. Afternoon drops to about 16 feet but the wind comes onshore a little, still huge.

Wednesday the 23rd is still solid at about 12 feet with clean cross-off wind, good for the guys who survived. Then we’re back into wind-affected, lumpy conditions from the 24th through the 26th.

But Rusty saved the last word. Sunday the 27th of September. Another absolute gem. Solid 13-foot to 15-foot SW groundswell with an insane 17-second period. The wind is NNE at about 12-13 mph, a true offshore breeze, and the forecast calls it “exceptional surf conditions for expert surfers.” Energy is massive (9,542 – 11,480). This is a day for the core crew who know every crack in that reef when The Well is firing.

So the short of it: the best windows are early Saturday the 12th for the cleanest all-around conditions, then the heavy hitters – Tuesday morning the 22nd for the big-wave crew only, and Sunday the 27th, which looks like an absolute classic day at The Well.

Rusty.

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