Whale Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather 'round, surfers. Rusty here. I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window for Whale Rock is a tough one to call. The long-range picture shows a few pulses of energy, but the wind and conditions are almost always working against us. The water temp is sitting right about where it should be for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Let's start with the first real event on Tuesday, September 2nd. We get a bump in swell in the afternoon, with a 5ft groundswell from the SSW with a long 15-second period. The energy is moderate (992). The big issue is that the wind is onshore from the ESE, described as "questionable tide conditions." It's a marginal call at best, and the swell direction isn't ideal for the spot, which likes it from the S. It's not a standout.

The next morning, Thursday, September 3rd, has a little leftover energy, 3ft from the SSW, but the wind is a light cross-shore from the S. The wave energy is weak (206). It's a marginal look, but nothing to get excited about.

Things go south quickly. We get a massive swell on Friday, September 4th, with a 15ft SSE swell and a 13ft pulse in the afternoon. The energy is very strong (4457 and 2840), but it's also heavy rain with a fresh cross-onshore wind. This is a kite-surfing setup, not a paddle-surfing one. The swell is too big and messy for anyone but the most experienced, and even then, it's not clean.

The following week is a write-off. There's a huge 8ft S swell on Sunday, September 6th, with a very long 18-second period, but the energy is extreme (5491) and it's accompanied by light rain and a moderate cross-onshore wind. The wind ruins it. Then on Monday, September 7th, we have a 8ft S swell, but it's a fresh cross-onshore gale from the NE. The whole period from the 4th to the 10th is a mix of poor surf, strong winds, and onshore conditions.

There's a faint glimmer of hope on Sunday, September 13th. The morning has a 5ft S swell with a light cross-shore wind from the SSW, and the afternoon is similar with a 4ft S swell. The energy is moderate (443 and 379). It's a "marginal" call due to tide, but it's the closest we get to a clean window. Even so, the swell direction is more S than the ideal SSW, and the wind is cross-onshore in the afternoon.

The last day, Wednesday, September 16th, has a 2ft SSW swell with a very long 17-second period. The energy is weak (204), and the wind is a light cross-onshore from the NE. It's marginal, but it's a long-period groundswell that might offer a few clean runners if the tide is right. It's a long shot.

Honestly, there's nothing to recommend here. The wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell direction is rarely optimal. Even when the swell is big, the conditions are blown out. This is a tough period for Whale Rock, and the outlook is bleak. It's one of those stretches where you're better off checking the forecast again in a few days.

Rusty.

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