38 Line Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for 38 Line.

To be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for anything worth paddling out for. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, weak swell and mostly messy or onshore wind. There’s no standout window in this whole 16-day run, so if you’re hanging for a surf, you might need to find something else to do for a while.

Let’s break it down. Starting from Sunday the 12th, we’ve got a pathetic 1ft swell coming from the SE with a period of just 5 seconds. Combined energy is a measly 3 – that’s barely a ripple. Winds are light and cross-off in the morning, going glassy in the afternoon, but there’s just no power to work with. It’s a lake out there. Monday the 13th isn’t any better – 1.3ft, still SE, still short period, and a combined energy that barely hits 7. Tuesday’s the same story: 1.3ft, SE, energy only reaching 8. It’s frustrating because the wind is clean or light, but the swell is completely absent.

We get a tiny bump on Wednesday the 15th. The morning brings 2.3ft from the SE with 4-second period and energy at 15, but it’s light rain and a cross-onshore wind, so it’s choppy. The afternoon gets a bit better: 3.3ft, same SE direction, 6-second period, energy jumps to 74, and the wind turns cross-off and clean. This is the most surfable period in the whole outlook, but it’s still pretty ordinary – the kind of day you might get a few weak closeouts if you’re desperate. It’s not a standout by any stretch.

From Thursday the 16th onward, it’s basically a flat spell with occasional tiny pulses. We get a few mornings with clean conditions and a 1.3ft swell, but the combined energy rarely hits double digits. By Saturday the 18th, the energy drops to zero for several days. There’s a multi-day gap with nothing at all – no swell, no energy – from the 18th through the 22nd. A couple of days after that, we see tiny 0.7ft or 0.3ft pulses from the east and northeast, but with energy at just 1 or 2, it’s not even worth putting your wetsuit on.

The water temperature at the start is about 73.2°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year (anomaly of +2.3°F), so at least it’s not freezing while you stare at flat water.

Bottom line: there are no good surf options during this 16-day window. It’s a blank run. If you’re a beginner, the one afternoon on Wednesday the 15th might be okay for a splash on a foamy, but don’t expect anything remotely exciting. For anyone else, save your energy. The conditions just aren’t there. Sometimes the ocean just goes to sleep, and this is one of those times.

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