Zeneta Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way at Zeneta over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this outlook is a grind. We’ve got a solid run of days where the waves are there, but the wind is just wrecking it. From Wednesday the 26th of August right through to the end of the month, it’s mostly a write-off for clean paddling. Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are particularly rough with onshore and cross-shore winds in the 12 to 15 mph range, chopping up what little swell we have. The energy does build – we see combined swell energy hitting 286 on Friday morning and climbing to 762 by Saturday the 29th morning, with the swell hitting 6 ft out of the NW at 11 seconds. That’s got some grunt, but the wind is cross-onshore. For a beginner-friendly spot like Zeneta, that chop is going to make it messy and tough. Honestly, that Saturday morning setup looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle.

We hit a proper dry spell through the start of September. There’s nothing worth paddling out for from the 1st through most of the 2nd – just poor surf and onshore slop. Even the energy numbers (450–473) tell you there’s swell but no quality.

Then, a little glimmer. On Thursday the 3rd of September, the morning comes in glassy. Wind is NNW at 3 mph, swell drops to 4 ft from the NW at 8 seconds, combined energy at 203. It’s not big, but it’s clean. This is your standout window for the whole forecast. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing freaky. Zeneta is a consistent spot when conditions line up, and with glass like that and a manageable size, it’s a good call for beginners and anyone wanting a fun, easy session without getting chewed up.

Friday the 4th morning is also glassy, but the swell drops to 3 ft and energy is down to 157 – surfable, but pretty weak.

After that, we’re back into a long stretch of poor conditions right through to the 10th of September. The wind turns onshore or cross-shore again, the swell energy stays in the 100–300 range, and nothing is clean enough to recommend. It’s a frustrating second week, to be honest.

So, to sum it up: this is a one-hit window. If you can, point your board at Thursday the 3rd of September morning. That’s the cleanest, most welcoming surf we get in the whole 16 days. Everything else is either too choppy or too ordinary.

Rusty.

Read more