Apache Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks for Apache Pier. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty grim run. The forecast is full of small, short-period waves and a lot of messy, onshore wind. The only real chance to get wet is a couple of brief windows, and even then, it’s going to be a struggle.

The first record kicks off on Monday, 03 August, with a S swell at 4 ft, but the period is a weak 7 seconds and the wind is a cross-on 16 mph from the south. The combined energy is a moderate 153, but the conditions are just poor. The wind stays messy through the week, with a lot of cross-on and onshore breezes, keeping the surf choppy and uninviting. The swell drops to 3 ft on Wednesday, 05 August, and the energy falls to 63, which is weak. It’s a real flat spell.

There’s a tiny glimmer on Tuesday, 04 August, in the morning. The wind goes completely glassy, calm, with a light N wind at 0 mph. The swell is small at 3 ft from the SSW, with a 7-second period. The energy is 158 – moderate – but the wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s a small window of clean, glassy conditions, but the lack of size and period means the waves will be weak and close out. It’s the best on offer, but that’s not saying much. Water temp is about average for this time of year.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. The swell drops under 3 ft and the energy falls into the low double digits and teens. The wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, with light breezes. We see a few glassy moments on Sunday, 09 August, and Thursday, 13 August, but with the swell barely 2 ft and energy at 26 or 24, it’s essentially flat. A couple of mornings around 15 August – Saturday morning – show a light cross-off wind from the WSW and a clean surface, with a 3 ft swell from the south, but the period is only 5 seconds. The wave comment is "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s another tiny window of clean, small waves, but the energy is low (46).

The second week is a repeat of the same story: small, weak swells, poor period, and mostly unfavourable wind. The only real energy spike is on Monday, 17 August afternoon, with a 4 ft S swell and a 6-second period, pushing the energy to 119, but it’s still a cross-on wind and the wave comment is "poor surf conditions." For a beginner spot like Apache Pier, anything over 5 ft can be too much, but we don’t even get there. The punchy, short-period S swell is more likely to be a messy, choppy close-out.

To be honest, with the persistent onshore wind and the small, weak swell, this setup is looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. There’s a long gap of very poor to no surf from the 5th through to the 14th, basically. The only standouts are the glassy mornings on the 4th and the 15th, where you can get a couple of clean, but tiny, waves. It’s not a total washout, but it’s close. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s all about chasing those few hours of clean, small surf.

Rusty.

Read more