38 Line Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right now, 38 Line isn’t doing much of anything, and to be honest, the next couple weeks look pretty flat and underwhelming. There’s a real gap of nothing worth paddling out for until things start to show a little life around Friday the 18th, but even then, it’s a marginal call.

The first real chance of catching something clean comes up Sunday morning, September 20th. There’s a small 4ft east-northeast swell rolling in at 7 seconds, with light cross-off wind from the northwest. The water’s sitting at 74°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, but you’ll notice it. It’s surfable, but pretty average. Nothing to get too worked up about.

Monday the 21st has a bit of leftover energy, around 3ft, glassy conditions with no wind. It’s clean but tiny. You’ll be fighting for a wave that barely stands up. Not great.

After that, we slide back into another flat stretch from Tuesday the 22nd right through to Sunday the 27th. There’s a brief window on the 23rd with some cross-off wind and clean conditions, but the swell’s only 2–2ft and the period drops to 4 seconds. That’s just wind chop – not real surf. The energy’s almost non-existent, with combined swell energy sitting in the low double digits (11–13) and even dropping to 2 at one point. You’re better off doing something else.

Monday the 28th is the standout of the whole run, but even that’s a stretch. There’s a 5ft north-northeast swell showing up in the afternoon, with a 7-second period and combined energy around 200 – the strongest we see in this whole forecast. But the wind’s cross-onshore out of the southeast, so it’s going to be choppy and messy. 5ft is pushing it for beginners, and with that wind, it’s not going to be pretty. If you’re experienced and keen, there might be something to find, but I wouldn’t call it clean.

Tuesday the 29th has a brief moment with offshore wind out of the west at 12 mph, and the swell is 3ft – clean but small. That’s about as good as it gets for the back half, but it’s still marginal.

From there, it just fades out again. Nothing over 2ft, periods dropping to 4 seconds, and winds swinging all over. There’s a glassy morning on October 1st, but the swell is only 2ft from the southeast with a 4-second period – that’s basically flat with a ripple.

Honestly, if you’re chasing decent waves at 38 Line over the next two weeks, you’re going to be disappointed. The standout, if you can even call it that, is Monday the 28th, but the onshore wind will spoil it. The 29th with clean offshore is your best bet for a few small, clean ones. Keep your expectations low.

Rusty

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