Baldwin Beach Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks for Baldwin Beach Park. Honestly, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch. The whole 16-day window is a long, flat, and choppy mess. There’s nothing here that’s worth paddling out for.

The first few days are a write-off. Tuesday the 1st through to Thursday the 3rd of September, we’ve got a lumpy, cross-shore chop with swell around 6 ft to 6 ft but at a weak, short period of just 7 to 8 seconds. The wind is a fresh breeze and it’s just messy. The combined energy is weak to moderate (376 to 541), and the call is "poor surf conditions" across the board. Not a single wave worth a duck dive.

We get a bit of a pulse starting Friday the 4th, with the swell jumping to 4 ft but with a long period of 14 seconds. That’s a groundswell, and the energy spikes to 814, but it’s still a cross-shore mess with a 16 mph wind. The comment says "poor surf conditions." It’s just not clean.

The weekend of the 5th and 6th sees the biggest swell of the whole period – 7 ft to 7 ft from the ENE with a long period of 13 to 14 seconds. The combined energy gets strong (1320 to 1593). But here’s the heartbreaker: the wind is still cross or cross-onshore, and the reports are "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions." That size with that wind and a beach-and-reef setup? It’s going to be a washing machine. More interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, if you ask me. It’s too big for beginners (over 5 ft), and the lack of clean conditions would frustrate anyone.

The week of the 7th to the 10th offers a little hope. Monday the 7th has the best window of the whole run: 7 ft swell from the ENE with a 12 to 13 second period, combined energy strong at 1392 to 1488, and the wind drops to a light breeze (6 mph) on Monday afternoon. That’s a *light cross-shore with small crossing wind ripples* – the closest we get to clean. The score is a 3 out of 10, which is the highest we see. This is the only real standout, but it’s still a marginal call. It’s a point-and-reef break, so that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely, but the direction is ENE and the optimum is NNE, so it’s not hitting it perfectly. Still, it’s the best of a bad lot.

After that, it drops off. From the 8th onward, the swell fades back to 4 ft to 5 ft, the period drops to 7 to 8 seconds, and the wind is back up to a moderate breeze. The energy is weak (175 to 415). The 11th to the 16th are even worse, with tiny, weak, and poor conditions. A couple of days around the 12th and 13th have a long period 13-second swell, but it’s only 3 ft to 4 ft and the wind is still cross-onshore. Not worth it.

The water temperature is 80°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while you’re sitting there waiting for a wave that never comes.

So, to sum it up: If you’re desperate, Monday afternoon the 7th is your only shot. It’s the one standout. For everyone else, save your energy and check the forecast next week. Things can change, but right now, this is a long, bleak gap.

Rusty

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