Apache Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather ‘round, folks. Rusty here. Gotta say, it’s been a tough stretch for surf on this side of the region. I’ve stared at the charts for Apache Pier, and honestly, for the next week and a half, it’s looking pretty grim. There’s a real dry spell coming up, about a solid week with hardly anything worth paddling out for. The water’s sitting right around 84°, which is about what you'd expect for this time of year, so no weird anomalies there, just flat and quiet.

For this Tuesday, August 18th, the morning gives us a tiny 1ft pulse from the southeast, but it’s only packing a weak 20 units of energy. It’s clean, with a light cross-offshore breeze, but that’s about the only compliment I can give it. The afternoon gets messier, wind swinging onshore. That same tiny 1ft swell is still there, but it’s choppy junk. Wednesday the 19th sees a bit of early glass with a westerly breeze going offshore, and the swell pushes up to a still-weak 1ft. The afternoon goes glassy again, but the wave energy is pathetic at 21 units. Thursday the 20th? Same story: 1ft with cross-onshore wind. It’s just not happening.

We finally see a tiny bump on the charts towards the end of next week. Friday the 28th of August, the morning shows a bit of promise, but it’s still small. There’s a 2ft pulse from the southeast that’s actually got a solid 11-second period, and it’s clean with a cross-off breeze out of the north-northeast. The energy is up to 80 units, which is at least something. But the waves will be weak and the sets far apart. The afternoon gets a little chunky with cross-shore wind, but still, it’s a surf you might get one or two rides on if you’re desperate.

The real kicker, if you’re an expert or just want to watch some waves break, is looking at the morning of Thursday, August 27th. I know it’s a week away, but the models are saying we might finally get a pulse. The swell jumps to 4ft out of the south-southwest, and the energy is actually moderate at 171 units. The wind is a cross-offshore breeze from the west, so it’s clean. It’s still not going to be a world-beater, but it’s the best we’ve got. The period is short, only 6 seconds, so it’s going to be a bit crumbly and soft at this sandbar setup. It’s finally “surfable” but still pretty ordinary. Don’t get your hopes up too high. The rest of that final week is a mess of onshore winds and tiny swell.

So, the only surf that even comes close to a recommendation is that Thursday the 27th morning. It’s the one bright spot in a long, flat forecast. For the rest of it, keep the board in the car and save your energy. This stretch is one to forget.

- Rusty

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