Baldwin Beach Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me tell you about the surf ahead for the next couple of weeks at Baldwin Beach Park.

It's a tough stretch ahead, I won't lie. The overall pattern is dominated by persistent cross-shore and cross-onshore winds, mostly from the ENE and E, and that's keeping the ocean pretty messy and chopped up. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Looking at the first chance for a wave, on Thursday the 13th of August, you're looking at a 5ft swell coming out of the ENE with a short period of 7 seconds. The wave energy is moderate (211). But the wind is a cross-on from the ENE at 12 mph, so the report says it's poor surf conditions – choppy and not much fun. Thursday afternoon is much the same, just a bit more wind and a bump in size to 6ft.

Friday the 14th sees a bigger swell come in, with 7ft in the morning and 7ft in the afternoon. The period stretches to 10 seconds in the afternoon, so there's some more power there (energy hitting 920). Still, that cross-shore wind from the ENE at 16 mph keeps everything messy. It's surfable in the sense that there's plenty of water moving, but it'll be lumpy and hard to get a clean ride.

Saturday the 15th is the biggest day of the whole outlook. The swell kicks up to 10ft from the E, with a moderate 10-second period. The combined energy is very strong (1620 in the morning). But here's the kicker – the wind is a howling cross-shore from the E at 22 to 25 mph. The report flags it as marginal at best in the morning and poor in the afternoon. With that much wind and size, this is honestly looking more like a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one. At over 8ft, this is strictly for experts only.

The surf then slowly drops through Sunday the 16th and into the next week, but the wind never really lets up. From Sunday the 16th right through to Wednesday the 26th of August, we’ve got a mix of 4ft to 6ft swells, but every single session is rated as "poor surf conditions" due to that persistent cross-shore wind. The wave energy is moderate throughout this period (between 155 and 389). There’s no standout window of clean conditions.

The final few days, from the 27th of August into the 28th, the swell holds around 5ft to 6ft, but the period drops to a short 6 seconds, and the wind stays cross-shore from the E and ENE at 12-16 mph. The energy is still moderate (157 to 266), but the quality just isn't there.

The only real standout – and I say that with caution – is Saturday the 15th of August if you are a well-equipped, experienced surfer who doesn't mind a battle. That 10ft swell from the E has some serious grunt (1620 energy), but you'll be fighting a strong cross-wind. For everyone else, the entire 16-day window is a write-off for clean, fun surf.

Rusty.

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