Wraps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Wraps for the next 16 days. It’s a bummer, man. There’s swell almost every day, but that damn wind is ruining it. This is one of those stretches where you just gotta accept the conditions aren't lining up.

Starting Monday, August 17th, we’ve got a chest-high swell at 6ft from the ENE, but it’s a short-period windswell at 8 seconds and the wind is howling out of the ENE at 18 mph. That’s a cross-on wind, so you’re looking at lumpy, choppy water. The wave energy is weak (311), and the water temp is a warm 80°, which is about average for this time of year. It’s just messy. This pattern doesn’t let up.

Tuesday and Wednesday, the swell drops a little, but the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, and everything stays choppy. The combined energy drops into the low hundreds (177, 121), confirming it’s weak and wind-affected. Thursday the 20th we see a drop to tiny 2ft, and even though the wind eases a bit, it’s still cross-on and small. There is a tiny window of onshore wind, but with waves that small, it’s not worth paddling out.

Friday the 21st is a tease – morning has light cross-on wind at 6 mph and a tiny 2ft wave, but it’s weak energy (89). The afternoon picks back up to chest-high at 4ft but the wind goes moderate again. It’s the same story through the weekend: swell builds to 5ft on Saturday, but it’s all cross-on and choppy. The energy stays moderate (170).

Now, here’s the big build. From Sunday the 23rd into the end of August, the swell really starts pumping. We go from 6ft on Sunday to a solid 12ft by Saturday the 29th. The combined energy skyrockets from 285 up to a massive 3085 – that’s very strong energy. But here’s the catch: it’s all coming from the ENE with short periods (6 to 8 seconds), and the wind is fresh to strong from the ENE, so it’s onshore or cross-onshore the whole time. The waves will be big, messy, and blown-out. For the first week of September, we stay in the 7ft range with moderate onshore winds.

The only real standout is the very end of the run. On Friday, August 28th and Saturday, August 29th, the swell jumps to 10ft to 12ft, but more importantly, the period stretches to 12 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The energy numbers are through the roof (2994, 3379). But, and it’s a big but, the wind is still cross-on at 18 mph. This is a raw, powerful swell with long period, so it’s going to have long lulls between big sets. The wind will keep it bumpy, but for experts only. These 11ft+ waves (over 8ft) are not for beginners. The long period (over 11 seconds) means it’s going to be a bit straight at this beach break, but the power will be undeniable. It’s the only time I’d even think about suiting up, but you’ll be earning every wave.

In short: the whole 16 days is a struggle with onshore ENE winds. The surf is either small and weak or big and blown out. There is no clean, glassy window. The big groundswell on the 28th and 29th is the only real highlight, but it’s a messy, expert-only affair.

Rusty.

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