Apache Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead for Apache Pier. The entire 16-day window is looking pretty bleak, with nothing that’ll get your heart racing. We’ve got a long, flat, and messy run, and it’s not going to be easy finding any real waves to ride.

We start off with a real nothing-burger. The first recommendation is Friday, September 4th. We’re looking at a tiny 1 ft SSE swell, but it’s a short period – only 6 seconds. The wind is cross from the SSW, which leaves the surface choppy and bumpy. The combined energy is weak, reading at just 24, and the report has it marked as poor. It’s just not worth paddling out.

The next few days don’t offer much of a reprieve. Saturday and Sunday keep us in the same boat with tiny swells and unfriendly winds. Even when we get a small pulse on Monday the 7th, it’s only 4 ft from the E, but still a short period at 5 seconds. The winds stay cross or cross-onshore, keeping the ocean messy with a cross-chop. The energy picks up a bit to moderate on Tuesday morning, September 8th, with 5 ft and a combined energy of 150, but it’s still poor conditions due to that moderate cross-shore breeze. It’s the only real bump, and it’s still not clean enough for a fun session.

From there, it’s a slow descent into even smaller surf. The rest of the first week and into the second week shows wave heights dropping back under 3 ft, with weak energy readings and either cross-shore or onshore winds. A brief moment of glassy conditions on Thursday morning, September 10th, is a tease – the swell is only 1 ft and the energy is a pathetic 12. Same story on Tuesday, September 15th, with a glassy morning but just 1.0 ft. It’s flat, plain and simple.

There’s a slight uptick right at the very end of the forecast period. On Saturday, September 19th, we see a 4 ft SSW swell arrive with a moderate combined energy of 103, but it’s a short period of 5 seconds and the wind is cross-shore from the SW. It’s still labeled as poor. While the height is something, the quality isn’t there.

The main issue here is a complete lack of quality. Apache Pier is exposed to the SSE, which is the direction we see in the data, but the swells are nearly all short period. With such low wave energy readings and persistent wind issues, there’s just no real wave shape to be had. For the entire 16 days, there is no standout session. The water temperature doesn’t have an anomaly worth noting, so it's just a normal September water temp for the area.

Given the combination of weak swell and poor conditions, this spot might look more interesting for a kite session than a paddle. The persistent onshore and cross-shore winds will be better for kites than surfing. Overall, it’s a long blank run. Don't expect much in the second week – it’s just more of the same micro-swell and bumpy seas.

Rusty.

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