Ammonias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, let’s be real – the surf outlook is looking grim for a good while. The first thing even worth talking about at Ammonias (reef) pops up on Saturday afternoon, August 22nd, and I’m being generous.

That Saturday, we’re looking at a 6ft swell from the ENE, but with a short 7-second period. The wind is cross-shore with a moderate breeze, so expect a bumpy, chopped-up surface. The combined energy is moderate at 579, but the conditions are questionable. You could probably find a wave, but it’s not the kind of day you’d mark on the calendar.

After that, it’s a desert. Sunday the 23rd through Tuesday the 25th is all poor conditions. The swell stays, but dirty wind ruins it.

Then things get weird. Around Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th, the swell drops to 3-3ft, but the period goes long – 14 to 17 seconds from the south. This is real groundswell, with strong energy (a reading of 923). The catch is it’s tiny. And the wind is still a moderate cross-shore, so it’s not glass clean. You might catch a little, super-mellow wave on a longboard, but it’s marginal.

We get another messy stretch of short-period, onshore windswell until the end of the month. Then, on Tuesday, September 1st, the south swell comes back with a very long 18-19 second period. The water temp is average for this time of year. The combined energy is strong at 1113 the next day, but the height is only 3ft. The wind does ease to a light breeze on Wednesday the 2nd, which would make the surface nice, but you’re chasing tiny lines again. Marginal.

We close out the forecast with more poor, short-period conditions and onshore wind into the first week of September. Sunday, September 6th shows a 6ft swell from the ENE with a better 11-second period and very strong energy (1054), but the wind is cross and moderate, so expect a lumpy, bumpy surface. Still borderline.

The Best You’ll Get: Honestly, the most interesting, but still not great, window is the longer period south swell around Thursday, August 27th and Tuesday, September 1st. The long period means better shape, and at a reef break like Ammonias, it’ll have more punch for its size than the short-period junk. But it’s so small it’s barely breaking. Wednesday, September 2nd might be your best bet if you just want a clean, glassy paddle, but you won’t be getting barreled.

We’ve got some pretty big gaps with zero good options in this 16-day outlook. It’s a dry spell, and for this area, that happens. Don’t lose hope – forecasts can change, but for now, it’s a tough stretch.

Rusty

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