Broadway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – we’ve got a 16-day window ahead, and honestly, it’s a quiet one. The first few days are a total write-off, with nothing worth paddling out for until well into the second week. We’re looking at a gap of about 10 days with no real surf on offer. I’ll walk you through it, but don’t get your hopes up too early.

The first sniff of any sort of action comes on Sunday, the 18th of August, at Broadway. It’s a beach and jetty setup, and it’s an advanced spot, so this isn’t for the faint-hearted. The swell is tiny, around 1 ft from the SE, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 74, so don’t expect much push. Winds are a moderate cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. This is more about getting wet than getting waves.

The following days don’t improve much. Monday the 19th sees a bit more energy, with a 1 ft SE swell, but the period jumps to 15 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. For a beach break like Broadway, that long period will make the waves break too straight and close out. The combined energy is still weak at 69, and we’ve got onshore winds. Not great.

Things perk up a tiny bit on Thursday, the 20th of August. The swell is 2 ft from the SE, with a period of 11 seconds – that’s a decent long period, giving some shape. The combined energy is 89, still weak. But here’s the kicker: the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the W at 15 mph. That’s a major positive for clean, groomed waves. It’s still small, but for the advanced crew, it’ll be the cleanest the water gets all week. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so a spring suit will do.

As we roll into the final week, the pattern stays flat. Saturday the 22nd of August has a brief moment of glassy conditions in the afternoon with a 1 ft swell from the SE, but the period is a short 4 seconds, so it’s just wind chop. The best patch of the whole outlook might be Monday the 24th of August, with a 2 ft swell from the ENE, period of 6 seconds, and a gentle cross-shore wind. The combined energy is 86, still weak, but it’s the biggest swell we’ve seen. It’s not a standout by any stretch.

Truth is, there’s no single standout break in this 16-day run. It’s mostly small, weak, and plagued by poor wind direction. For a spot like Broadway, which is fairly exposed to the SE, the swell direction is never quite right, and the energy is too low to get excited about. If you’re desperate, Thursday the 20th of August is your best bet for clean conditions, but even then, it’s a session for the experts only. For the rest of us, it’s a good time to wax the board and wait.

Rusty.

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