Vilano Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – this stretch looks pretty quiet. We're looking at a 16-day window for Vilano Jetty, and honestly, it's a flat spell for the most part. The swell energy is weak, with combined energy values mostly in the low double digits or even single digits, and the biggest we see is around 268 (moderate) on Thursday morning, September 3rd, but even that comes with a cross-onshore wind that messes up the surface. The water temp is sitting at 81°, which is about two and a half degrees cooler than usual for this time of year – a bit colder than normal.

The first real chance for anything rideable comes on Wednesday afternoon, September 2nd, but it's a no-go. We've got a tiny 2ft easterly swell with a 10-second period, but a northeast wind at 9 mph and risk of thunderstorms make it a total write-off. Thursday the 3rd has the most energy of the whole run, with a 3ft east swell at 9 seconds on the morning. The combined energy is 268, but that east wind at 9 mph is blowing right across the break, making it choppy and messy. The afternoon drops to 3ft and the energy plummets back to 101.

The rest of the first week and into the second is a parade of knee-high slop. Friday the 4th has a 3ft swell in the afternoon with a cross-off wind, so it'll be clean, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the energy is only 94. It's not going to have any push. Saturday morning the 5th is tiny at 1ft with a glassy cross-off, but the combined energy is a pathetic 22. You might get a knee-high wave if you're desperate.

After that, we're looking at a long gap. From Sunday the 6th all the way through Tuesday the 15th, the swell is consistently below 2ft, with energy values often under 50. The best of that period is Tuesday morning the 8th, with a glassy 2ft swell from the northeast, but the period is only 6 seconds. It's a lake. There are a few glassy mornings on the 10th, 11th, and 16th, but the swell is too small to do anything with.

There is simply no standout day in this forecast. The best you could hope for is a clean, small wave on the weekend, but you'll be struggling. For a beginner, anything over 5ft is too big, but we don't even get close to that. The biggest swell is 3ft, so it's not dangerous, just frustrating. The 9-second period swells are short-period windswell, not the kind of groundswell that gives you a proper wave.

Overall, this is a poor outlook. The forecast for the entire 16-day run is "poor surf conditions" for every single session. The jetty can work with a clean north-east swell, but we just don't have the size or the right wind alignment. If you're a kite surfer, the moderate cross-shore winds on Friday the 4th and Thursday the 17th might be more interesting than paddling out. But for paddle surfing, you're better off taking a break.

Rusty.

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