Broadway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next 16 days for Broadway is a tough watch. The pattern is stubbornly quiet, with surf staying small, weak, and often messy. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf conditions, with barely a ripple that’s worth paddling out for. The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t show up until the very end of the forecast, and even then, it’s nothing to write home about.

The water at Broadway is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 77°F on the 26th, but that’s small comfort when the waves are flat.

We start off on Wednesday, August 26, with glassy conditions in the morning – a light WSW wind at 3 mph – but the swell is barely a bump at 1.0 ft from the SE with a short 9-second period. The combined energy is a measly 18, and the wave comment says it all: “poor surf conditions.” The afternoon gets worse with a cross-on breeze kicking up chop. Thursday and the rest of the first week are a write-off. Winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, gusting up to 22 mph, and the swell never gets above 3 ft. The energy climbs to 126 on Thursday afternoon, but that’s just wind chop, not surfable waves. Friday morning (August 28) offers a clean window with light WNW wind, but the swell is a pathetic 2 ft at 8 seconds. It’s still considered “poor surf conditions.”

The entire first week through the end of August is dominated by flat, weak SE swell, with periods ranging from 4 to 9 seconds. The combined energy stays mostly in the teens and twenties, with a few spikes into the 60s and 70s that still don’t produce anything rideable. The wind is all over the place – from glassy to 25 mph gusts – but the swell just isn’t there.

The first week of September looks much the same. Mornings are clean on the 2nd and 3rd with WNW cross-offshore winds, but the swell is 1.0 ft to 1 ft. Even a long-period 11-second swell on September 2nd only manages 36 energy. It’s barely a ripple. The 4th of September morning is glassy with a NE wind at 3 mph, but with 1 ft of ESE swell at 8 seconds, it’s still poor. The pattern of small, weak, and inconsistent continues right through until the 7th.

Finally, around Monday, September 7, things start to shift. The swell picks up to 2 ft from the east, with a 11-second period. The combined energy jumps to 149. This is a moderate energy event, but it’s still considered “poor surf conditions.” The wind is cross-offshore from the NE at 16 mph in the morning, keeping it clean, but the swell direction is from the east, which is not the optimum SE direction for Broadway. The 8th of September offers similar 2 ft east swell at 12 seconds, but with onshore winds, it’s going to be choppy. The 9th and 10th of September bring clean cross-offshore NW winds, with the swell holding at 2 ft to 2 ft from the east, with periods of 10-11 seconds. The energy stays in the 90-130 range. Still, the wave comment is “poor surf conditions.”

There is no standout session in this 16-day window. Nothing reaches the threshold of being a “true standout.” The best of a bad lot might be the morning of September 7 or 9, where you get a clean 2 ft wave with some energy. But for a break that’s for advanced surfers only, 2 ft is small, and the east swell direction isn’t ideal. This is a blank run that’s unfortunately normal for the area when the swell just doesn’t show. Forecasts can change, but right now, leave the board in the car.

Rusty.

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