Agate and Pearl Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a good look at what’s coming down the pipe for Agate and Pearl Street this next 16 days. Right off the bat, I’ve got to be straight with you – it’s a tough run. We’ve got a fair bit of swell on the way, but finding a quality window with clean conditions is going to be a real struggle. The water is sitting at a very unusual 76°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year; feels more like a late summer bathtub than early September.

The pattern kicks off on the 2nd of September, Wednesday afternoon. There’s a small 2ft SSW groundswell rolling in with a 12-second period, pushing a weak combined energy of just 318. Problem is, the wind is straight onshore from the West at 9 mph, so it’s sloppy, and the wave comment labels it as ‘poor surf conditions’. Not worth paddling out for.

Moving into Thursday the 3rd, the swell drops to 2ft in the morning, though the period stretches out to a nice 15 seconds – that long-period groundswell loves a reef setup like this. But that south wind is cross-onshore, making for a choppy mess. Even though the afternoon swell bumps up to 2ft with a very long 18-second period and the combined energy climbs to a moderate 447, the onshore wind from the southwest keeps things messy. We’ve got the right direction for the wave, but the wind is just killing it.

Friday the 4th shows a glimmer of hope in the morning. We’ve got 3ft of SSW swell, with a 17-second period pushing a moderate 534 combined energy. The wind is from the south, which is a pure cross-shore here. That’s our first usable window. Conditions are described as ‘marginal surf or questionable tide’, but it’s the best we’ve seen. The swell direction from SSW is not off the preferred W optimum, but with that long period, the reef should focus it. This is likely our standout window for the whole forecast. The afternoon gets an onshore breeze again and that drops the score.

Saturday the 5th is similar in size (3ft, SSW, 16-sec period) but the wind stays on or cross-onshore all day, so no real improvement. Sunday the 6th sees the swell jump to 5ft with a 14-second period, and the energy rockets up to a strong 952. That’s a lot of water moving, but the wind is poor – onshore in the morning and cross-onshore in the afternoon. It’s a consistent, powerful swell, but it’s going to be a bit of a washing machine.

The rest of the first week and into the second week is a real drag. From Monday the 7th through to Monday the 14th, we see wave heights bouncing between 2ft and 5ft, but the wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore. There’s no clean, offshore window to grab. The combined energy values drop from the 800s down to the 100s and 200s, showing that pulse of energy really fades away.

For the second week, starting around the 15th of September, we’re scraping the barrel. There are no good surf options on offer. The swell is small and weak – 1ft to 3ft – and every session is marked as ‘poor surf conditions’. The period on a few of those charts, like the 17th of September afternoon, stretches to a huge 21 seconds, but with only 1ft of swell and a cross-onshore wind, it’s just a clean-looking flat spell with no rideable energy.

So here's the honest take: the best bet, and really the only time I’d wet a line, is Friday morning, September 4th at Agate and Pearl Street. The swell is still manageable at 3ft, the 17-second period means proper groundswell energy with good shape on the reef, and the cross-shore wind should keep it clean enough to get some fun ones. That morning window is your standout. After that, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions and small, messy surf. For beginners, everything stays under the 5ft mark, so you’re safe from a size perspective, but the lack of clean conditions makes it a tough run for everyone. We’ll be waiting on a change in the wind pattern.

Rusty.

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