Windansea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a long-range look at what’s coming our way.

Overall, it’s a bit of a slow burn. The first few days are pretty average, but there’s a real highlight building for the weekend after that. We’ve got a decent stretch of small, clean surf bookending the period, but the middle of the run gets a bit raw and bumpy.

Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are pretty quiet. Swell is tiny, around 2 ft to 3 ft from the SW, and while the wind is mostly light offshore in the mornings, the wave comment tells the real story – poor surf conditions. The combined energy is only moderate (379 to 543). It’s really not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 4th is still marginal. The swell lifts a touch to 4 ft from the SW, with a nice long period of 16 seconds. The morning is clean with a light offshore, but the afternoon gets ruined by a moderate cross-onshore. The energy is picking up (790 to 944), but the quality isn’t there for a proper session.

Now, the standout. Saturday the 5th of September is the one to circle. The morning has that classic SoCal combo: S swell at 4 ft, but with a light cross-offshore, it’s so-so. Then, the afternoon turns on. The wind drops to glassy, in comes a solid 5 ft S swell at a very long 14-second period, and the energy jumps to a strong 1318. Water temp is sitting at a very unusual 75°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. This is a classic Windansea (San Diego) late-summer sesh. The swell direction is S, not the ideal SW, but with that glass and size, it’ll be a blast for the experienced crew.

Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th are a different story. The swell pumps up to 7 ft – 7 ft from the SSW, with strong energy (up to 1840). But it’s a messy affair. Rain, choppy cross-onshore winds, and the comments say marginal at best. For advanced and expert surfers only, and even then, it’s likely a washout. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The following week (Tuesday the 8th to Sunday the 14th) is a real mixed bag. Sizes fluctuate from 6 ft down to 1 ft, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore or a strong offshore that doesn’t clean it up. The energy drops from moderate to weak as the week goes on. There are a few morning sessions with light offshore wind (like the 10th and 11th), but the swell period is short and the wave quality is poor. A pretty blank run.

The final days, from Monday the 15th to Thursday the 17th, are back to tiny, clean conditions. Swells around 1 ft to 2 ft from the SW with light offshore winds. The energy is weak (180 to 293). It’s a classic end-of-summer lull. Not much to get excited about, but the forecast can always change.

Bottom line: If you’re a competent surfer who can handle a point break, that Saturday 5th afternoon at Windansea is your best bet. Glassy, warm, and with a bit of push. The rest of the run is mainly for the kites or a quiet paddle on the longboard.

Rusty.

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