38 Line Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, but in feet and miles. This 16-day window for 38 Line is a tough nut to crack. For the first two weeks, there’s just no good surf to speak of, and we’ve got a long, quiet gap until things finally start to show some life. The water is sitting at 27° which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so if you’re just floating, it’s nice, but for surfing, it’s a waiting game.

The pattern starts off with a real dud. Sunday the 2nd through to the end of the first week gives us tiny, weak swell with poor conditions. The combined wave energy is basically nothing – we’re looking at values like 39, 75, even as low as 6. The swell is small, mostly 1 to 3 feet from the north or northeast, with periods around 6–7 seconds. That’s short-period, weak, windswell stuff. Winds are cross or cross-onshore, chopping it up. There’s a brief moment on Tuesday morning, the 4th, where the wind goes light and cross-off, making it clean, but the swell is only 3 feet from the northeast and the energy is a measly 52 – surfable but very ordinary. The rest of that week is glassy but tiny, or choppy and messy.

The second week kicks off with a bit more size but still poor quality. From Saturday the 8th afternoon, we see the swell start to bump up – 4 feet, then 6 feet from the northeast on Sunday the 9th, and energy climbs into the hundreds (137, 358, 450). But the wind is all wrong – cross-onshore, choppy, and accompanied by rain and thunderstorms. The surf is there, but it’s a mess. This pattern sticks around through the middle of the week, with the swell staying around 4 to 6 feet, but the wind never cleans up. It’s a kite surfer’s setup, not a paddle surfer’s dream.

Then, finally, we get a glimpse of hope. The real standout is Monday morning, August 17th. The swell is 7 feet from the northeast, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid 507 – that’s strong, powerful stuff. The wind is light and cross-off from the NNW, which means clean, lined-up waves. This is the best on offer, and it’s a solid intermediate-to-expert wave given the size. Sunday morning the 16th is also worth a mention – 6 feet from the northeast, energy at 378, and light cross-off wind from the NNW making it clean. It’s a notch below the Monday, but still a good session. Just keep in mind, these are the only two real standouts, and they’re over a week away, so the forecast confidence is a bit lower – promising, but not locked in.

So, the call: grind through the long wait of flat, choppy, and rainy days. The reward is a clean, punchy northeast swell on the morning of Monday the 17th, with a solid backup on Sunday the 16th. Get out there when it’s clean.

Rusty.

Read more