12th Street Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, weak surf, and it’s going to be a test of patience more than anything.

The first real opportunity doesn't even show up until the 20th of September, with a couple of days of junky conditions before that. But honestly, for the first nine days of this outlook, from the 8th right through to the 17th, we’re looking at flat, dribbly conditions. Swell heights are mostly hovering around the 1 ft to 2 ft mark, and the energy readings are just pathetic, mostly in the single digits or low twenties. There are some clean windows with light offshore or even glassy conditions, like the 12th, but there’s just nothing to ride. It’s a frustrating start.

The first hint of something a little more interesting kicks in on the morning of the 19th. We see the swell bump up to 3 ft from the SSW with a clean, cross-offshore wind. The energy reading climbs to 52, which is still weak, but at least it’s something. It’s still not great, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Then, things get a little more interesting on the 20th. The surf kicks up a notch, with the morning showing 3 ft from the ENE and clean conditions. But the real push comes in the afternoon. The swell jumps to 5 ft from the E, and the energy reading leaps to 157, which is our first moderate energy reading. However, the wind turns cross-onshore and it gets a bit choppy. Still, there’s finally some size on offer.

The standout, if you can call it that, is on Monday the 21st of September. The swell peaks at 5 ft from the E, with a strong energy reading of 246. This is the biggest surf of the entire forecast. But there’s a catch. The wind is cross-shore in the morning and cross-onshore in the afternoon, so it won’t be clean. At 5 ft, it’s also getting a bit big for beginners. The period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and disorganised, more of a challenge than a treat. For the experts out there, it might be worth a look, but don't expect any kind of perfection. This is also likely the last we’ll see of any real size, as it backs down quickly after.

After that, it fades to nothing again. The energy on the 22nd drops back to 94, and by the 23rd we’re back to small, weak, and onshore. It’s a pretty bleak run, to be honest. The conditions are what they are, and it seems like a lot of waiting for not a lot of reward. The only real highlight is the 3 ft clean morning surf on the 20th before it gets messy, and the bigger, but messy, swell on the 21st. If you’re a beginner, this whole period is a miss. For the more experienced, the 21st offers the only real size, but you'll have to put up with the chop.

That's all I've got. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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