Vilano Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking for our little stretch of coast.

To be straight with you, this 16-day window is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, dry spell of flat to tiny waves. The first real chance of anything remotely surfable doesn’t show up until just before the third week, and even then, it's not exactly going to have you calling in sick. There’s a big gap of nothingness from now until mid-week next week, so leave the board in the car for a bit.

Our only reliable spot in the mix is Vilano Jetty, and even she’s being pretty stingy. For days on end, we’re stuck with knee-high dribblers. The early mornings on Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th are glassy, but the swell is a pathetic 1 ft from the ESE with short-period energy. The combined swell energy is so weak (11) you could paddle harder and make your own waves. It’s clean, but it’s a lake.

Things stay flat and frustrating through the following week. The morning of Wednesday the 20th offers a clean 1 ft with a light cross-offshore wind from the W, but the energy (27) is still weak. It’s a longboard day if you’re desperate for a paddle.

Now, here’s the only thing that gets interesting, but it comes with a big caveat. On Saturday the 22nd of August, we see a pulse of swell, pushing up to 4 ft from the NE by the afternoon. The combined energy jumps into the “moderate” range at 126. That’s the biggest we’ll see. But—and it’s a big but—the period is a short, choppy 6 seconds, and the wind is onshore from the NE all day. That’s going to be a messy, bumpy, blown-out wall of water. It’s a real shame because that’s the only size of the entire forecast, and the conditions will ruin it. At that size and with that wind, this break is probably more fun for kite surfers than paddle surfers.

There’s a tiny flicker of hope on the morning of Monday the 25th, with glassy conditions and a 1 ft ESE swell, but again, the energy (34) is just too weak to get excited about. The window closes with another week of tiny, weak surf.

Honestly, your best bet in this entire outlook is that glassy Wednesday morning on the 19th, with a 2 ft ESE swell. The combined energy is still only 66 (weak), but the wind is glassy out of the WSW. You’ll be on a log, sinking the rail, and scratching for anything, but it’ll be the prettiest ugly surf you’ll have all week.

Stay patient. It tends not to stay this flat forever.

-- Rusty

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