12th Street Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's talk about what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, straight up, the outlook is a tough one for the 16 days ahead. The water is a warm 78° at 12th Street Jetty, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, a big anomaly of 4°. But the waves? It's a long, flat, and frustrating run. There's a massive gap right at the start with nothing worth getting in the water for. The first solid recommendation doesn't come until the 25th of August, so you're looking at nearly two weeks of silence.

The first ten days or so are filled with tiny, weak swell. The combined energy values are mostly single-digit or low double-digit numbers, which is nothing. There's a bit of movement on the 16th of August with a 3 ft swell from the S, but the wind is fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph, making it lumpy and messy. Not worth it.

The real story starts around the 25th of August. On Tuesday morning, the 25th, we finally see some life. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the ESE, with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy hits 327, which is a strong, solid push. But the wind is onshore from the SE at 9 mph, which is a bummer, so the conditions will be messy. The size is pushing into the intermediate zone, but the onshore wind will make it sloppy.

The best chance for a surf in this whole period would be the 26th of August, Wednesday. The swell is 6 ft from the E, with a period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy is a beefy 378. This is moderate wave energy that's starting to show some teeth. It's a bit too big for beginners, but for experienced surfers, it's the biggest pulse we get. The wind is a moderate cross-shore from the NE at 12 mph, which will create a bit of a cross-chop. It's not clean, but it's the most powerful and consistent swell of the entire outlook. The direction is straight from the E, which is not the optimum NE direction for this spot, so it won't be perfect, but it'll be the best on offer.

The 27th of August Thursday still has some size, 5 ft to 5 ft from the E, with moderate cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions. The energy is still moderate (266 and 227), but the wind is a problem.

So, the standout is the 26th of August. It's the biggest swell, the most energy, and the wind is manageable. Don't expect perfection, but it's the only window in the entire 16 days that has any real punch. For the rest of the time, the kite surfers might find the windy, choppy days more interesting than paddle surfers.

Rusty.

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