Vilano Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. For the next sixteen days, the surf at Vilano Jetty is going to be flat, weak, and unimpressive. This is a stretch where you might as well leave the board in the car and find something else to do, because there’s nothing on offer that’s worth getting wet for. The whole sixteen-day window is pretty much a write-off. There’s no standout session, no pulse of energy, just a long, slow run of tiny, poor-quality waves. Water temp is sitting right on normal for this time of year at 83°F, so at least you won’t be cold if you decide to paddle out for a swim.

It all kicks off from Friday the 28th of August, and honestly, it’s a rough start. Friday morning brings 1ft of swell from the east, with a weak period of 9 seconds and combined energy reading just 29 – that’s barely a ripple. Cross-off wind from the SSW at 6 mph is nice, but the waves are so small and weak it’s not worth the paddle. Friday afternoon isn’t any better: 2ft, 9 seconds, 80 combined energy, but cross-shore wind from the ESE at 9 mph adds some chop. You’d be fighting for nothing. Saturday the 29th is more of the same: 1ft in the morning, period dropping to 8 seconds, energy at 23. A little cross-off wind helps it look clean, but it’s still only ankle-high junk. By Saturday afternoon, the wind swings onshore and kicks up to 12 mph, making it choppy and messy.

Sunday the 30th through to Thursday the 3rd of September is a long stretch of tiny, weak surf. Swell heights hover around 1ft to 2ft, periods between 5 and 11 seconds. The combined energy stays under 100 for most of it, except for one afternoon on Wednesday the 2nd of September where it sneaks up to 112 – still only moderate energy, and it’s accompanied by onshore or cross-onshore wind. Those 11-second periods on the 2nd hint at a little more push, but the swell direction is east, not the NNE optimum the jetty needs to light up. The wind on Wednesday morning is onshore from the ENE, so it’s choppy, and the afternoon stays cross-onshore. Not a single session in this first week scores better than zero out of ten.

The second week looks even quieter. From Friday the 4th of September through to Saturday the 12th of September, it’s all 0.7ft to 1ft waves, with periods mostly in the 8-10 second range, and combined energy readings that barely crack 54. There’s a brief moment on Wednesday the 9th of September when the morning gives us a 1 out of 10 rating – surfable but ordinary – with 1ft from the ESE, 10-second period, and offshore wind from the WSW at 9 mph. That’s the best it gets, and it’s still tiny. Glassy conditions pop up on the 5th and the 9th of September, and on the 12th as well, but with barely any swell to push through, it’s flat and clean – just glassy water. The 11-second period on the 8th of September comes with ENE swell, which is a bit closer to the optimum direction, but the wave height is only 0.7ft to 1ft, so there’s nothing to ride.

Crowds at Vilano Jetty are sometimes an issue, but honestly, with surf this weak, you won’t find a soul out there. The swell is never over 5ft, so there’s nothing for beginners or experts – it’s just flat. This is the kind of run that feels more like a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one, especially with the onshore wind afternoons. A blank run like this is pretty normal for the area when the swell windows close up, but forecasts can change, and it won’t stay this poor forever. For now, don’t bother.

Rusty.

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