Avalon 15th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this 16-day stretch for Avalon 15th Street is a tough one. We've got a long, flat gap to start, and the few bits of swell that show up later look pretty messy. Let's break it down.

The first surf we can even talk about isn’t until Saturday, the 15th of August, and it’s not good. We’ll see a small bump of windswell pushing 3 ft from the ENE but with a period of only 5 seconds, so it’s just weak, crumbly junk. To make matters worse, the wind is cross-onshore and choppy. You’d be fighting for knee-high slop. Hard pass.

We go through a long stretch of tiny, poor conditions right through to Thursday, the 21st of August. There’s a little pulse on the 18th from the SE with a period of 13 seconds, which is a nice long groundswell, but the swell height is only 2 ft, so it’s not breaking with any push. Just a faint line on the horizon.

The real letdown comes on Sunday, the 23rd of August. We get clean, glassy offshore wind from the NNW at 12 mph, and that beautiful long-period groundswell (12 seconds) from the ESE. It’s a moment of great potential, but the swell is only 0.7 ft. It’s a tease.

The only period that even registers some energy is Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th of August. We get a pulse of 5 ft to 5 ft from the ENE/E direction. The combined swell energy finally hits the triple digits, peaking at 264 on Thursday afternoon (moderate energy). But here’s the killer: the period is short, around 6 to 7 seconds, and the wind is cross-onshore from the East. It’ll be choppy, lumpy, and the waves will be fat and weak. At 5 ft, it’s manageable for an intermediate, but the quality is poor. For the groms and beginners, that size with that chop is a handful.

Water temps are running around 79°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year (anomaly of 4°F). That’s notable.

The best on offer: Honestly, there is no true standout. The highest energy comes on Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th, but the onshore wind ruins the shape. If you’re dying to get wet, the Friday morning (28th August) has the smallest cross-onshore wind (9 mph) and the smallest swell from the east at 5 ft (212 energy), but the chop makes it a challenge. That’s as good as it gets.

This is a low period for Avalon 15th Street. If this was a beach-and-reef setup, I’d say it looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, given the onshore wind and modest swell. But for a board and a paddle? Keep the wax in the car.

Stay patient, the forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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