Apache Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down for Apache Pier. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – this is a tough stretch. The whole 16 days is a real struggle. There’s a long gap of solid nothingness from the start right through to the middle of the month. You’re looking at a whole lot of days with no real surf to speak of. The water temp is around 84°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a small comfort, but it’s not gonna help the waves.

The first real flicker of anything worthwhile doesn’t show up until the morning of Friday, September 18th. That’s a long wait. On that morning, we get a tiny 2 ft swell from the ESE with a period of 6 seconds, so it’s weak, short-period stuff. The combined energy is a low 50 (weak). But the wind goes glassy out of the SW, making it clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon that same day sees a jump to 5 ft from the E, but the wind goes cross-onshore, and the energy jumps to 176 (moderate), but the conditions are reported as poor, so it’s not a goer.

Then on Saturday morning, September 19th, we get another window. The swell is 4 ft from the ESE with a 6-second period, and the combined energy is 117 (moderate). The wind is glassy again from the SW, so it’s clean. But again, it’s just surfable, very ordinary. The afternoon gets a bit bigger at 4 ft, but the wind goes light cross-onshore, making it choppy.

So, if you’re desperate, the standout is the morning of Saturday, September 19th. The wind is glassy, the swell is 4 ft from the ESE, making it the cleanest option of the whole period. But don’t expect much. The crowds are likely to be around because it’s a consistent spot, but the waves are just not there. The swell direction from the SSE is what the spot likes, but what we’re getting is mostly ESE, so it’s not a perfect match.

The rest of the time, it’s just poor surf conditions. The swell is tiny, the wind is onshore or cross-shore, and it’s choppy. There’s nothing for beginners or experts really. The period is short, under 8 seconds for most of it, so the waves won’t have any punch. For a beach break like this, that’s not a good thing.

Honestly, for this 16-day window, it’s a write-off. The best you can hope for is a tiny, clean wave on the 19th. Keep your eyes on the forecast, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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