Broadway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Broadway over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a whole lot of nothing for most of the period, so don’t get your hopes up too early.

The pattern starts off flat and stays that way for a long, long time. From now through to the end of the week, and well into the next, the swell is tiny. We’re talking knee-to-waist high dribble at best, with wind and conditions that are just not cooperating. The first few days are completely unsurfable: Saturday the 12th has a weak 1ft cross-on swell from the southeast and moderate breezes making it a choppy mess. Sunday the 13th is cleaner on the afternoon with a light offshore, but still only 1.0ft. Monday the 14th has clean offshore winds, but again, barely a ripple. This pattern of small, weak swell – most of it under 3ft – drags on through to Sunday the 20th. The combined wave energy for most of this period is in the double digits, often under 50 – that’s feeble stuff.

There’s one small blip Saturday the 19th morning where the period jumps to 12 seconds from the southeast and energy ticks up to 105 – a hint of some longer-period groundswell, but the height is still only 1ft and the wind is cross-shore. Not worth paddling out for.

Then we get a big shift. Monday the 22nd of September is the standout. Overnight, the swell kicks up proper. We’re seeing 6ft of east swell with a moderate 8-second period, and while the wind is strong – up to 25 mph – it’s cross-offshore. That means it’ll be clean and blown-out in the good way for an advanced surfer. The combined energy jumps to 441 and then 481 – that’s serious energy for Broadway. This is big, powerful, and clean. But let me be clear: at 6ft, this is for experienced surfers only. Beginners, stay on the sand. The swell direction is east, which matches the optimum southeast direction reasonably well, and with those strong offshore winds, the waves will be holding up nicely. This is the only window where I’d be excited.

Tuesday the 23rd is still solid, with 5-5ft east swell and strong cross-off winds – still good, but the energy drops a bit (358 to 279). Wednesday the 24th hangs on with 4ft and lighter breezes, but the wind swings onshore in the afternoon. From Thursday the 25th onwards, the swell fades fast.

The water temperature on the morning of the 12th is sitting at a very warm 77°F, which is 5° warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a clear sign we’re in a warm water spell.

Overall, you’ve got one real shot here: Monday the 22nd, and maybe Tuesday the 23rd. That’s your window. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off for surf. Crowds at Broadway are often busy, and with a solid swell like that, expect a full pack. But for the advanced crew, it’s the only game in town.

Alright, that’s the picture. Hang tough.

- Rusty

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