Baldwin Beach Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's be straight with you. Looking at the whole 16-day picture for Baldwin Beach Park, it's a tough stretch. This is a reef and point setup that's exposed to NNE swell, and the water temp is sitting right around 80°F right now, which is bang on average for this time of year. The problem is, for the next week and a half, the wind is just ruining everything. It's mostly a cross or cross-onshore breeze, and the surf quality is consistently poor.

We kick off on Sunday the 13th with a small 3ft swell from the NNE, period around 9 seconds, but it's got that cross-onshore wind, making it choppy. The wave energy is weak (158). That sets the tone for Monday and Tuesday too. Monday sees a 3ft swell from the NE with a short 8-second period, and it's still cross-onshore and messy. Tuesday morning actually has a long-period 12-second groundswell, but it's tiny at 1ft and the wind is a moderate cross-shore, creating a cross-chop. The energy is still weak (115). It's just not worth paddling out for.

Wednesday the 16th is a bit of a tease. Swell bumps up to 5ft from the ENE, period 10 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 390. But the wind is still cross-onshore, making it choppy. By Thursday the 17th, the swell gets over 7ft, but with a fresh cross-shore wind at 19 mph and a risk of thunderstorms, it's lumpy and ugly. This pattern of moderate to fresh cross-shore winds continues all the way through to the end of the first week, with swell sizes hovering between 5ft and 7ft. It's all marginal at best, and most of it is just poor.

Now, there is a glimmer of hope, but it's a long way off. Towards the end of the forecast period, specifically Tuesday the 22nd, we see a spike. The afternoon shows a 7ft swell from the east with a long 12-second period, and the wave energy jumps to a very strong 1431. But it's still a cross-shore wind. Wednesday the 23rd keeps that energy up with a 8ft east swell and 11-second period, again with moderate cross-shore winds. These are the biggest, most energetic swells of the whole period, but the wind is never clean. It's a bit of a heartbreaker, because the size and period suggest good potential, but the onshore component will keep it messy. For a beginner, anything over 5ft is already getting big, and at 8ft, this is only for experienced surfers who don't mind a challenge. For the rest of the time, it's a real blank run with nothing to recommend.

So, if you're a kitesurfer, the consistent cross-shore wind and building swell from the 22nd might look interesting. But for a paddle surfer, there is nothing here that I'd call a standout. The conditions just aren't coming together.

Rusty.

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