Broadway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: this 16-day window for Broadway ain’t exactly firing. It’s a pretty grim stretch for a paddle surfer, so I’ll walk you through the whole sorry tale.

First up, the overall pattern. We’re looking at a long, dry spell for any decent surf. The first real chance to even get a look at the water doesn’t come until Thursday, the 23rd of July. That’s three days of nothing but poor, blown-out junk from the get-go. The swell energy is almost non-existent, with a few weak pulses of swell but nothing that grabs you. The water temperature is sitting at about 77°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

Let’s start with the only morning that’s even worth a mention. On Thursday, 23rd July, we get a brief window. The morning shows a clean 2ft swell from the SSE, with a period of 8 seconds. The wind is a gentle offshore from the NNE, which is a major positive – it’ll be clean. The combined energy is a weak 101, so it’s not going to have any power, but it’s the best we’ll see. The swell direction is SSE, but the optimum for Broadway is SE, so it’s a bit off. Still, it’s the only morning with a score of 1 out of 10 in the whole window. After that, the afternoon turns to junk with a cross-onshore wind, and it’s back to poor surf.

Then, nothing. Friday the 24th, Saturday the 25th, Sunday the 26th, Monday the 27th, Tuesday the 28th, Wednesday the 29th, Thursday the 30th, and Friday the 31st of July are all consistently poor. The swell is tiny, mostly under 2ft, and the wind is either onshore, cross-shore, or just making a mess. The combined energy for most of these days is in the teens or low twenties, which is incredibly weak. It’s a real flat spell. Even the mornings that are clean are for waves that are too small to ride.

We roll into August, and it’s more of the same. Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd are still poor. The only glimmer of hope comes on Monday, 3rd August. The morning shows a clean 2ft swell from the SE, period of 8 seconds, with a light offshore wind from the WNW. The combined energy finally bumps up to 72, which is still weak but it’s the most energy we’ve seen in a while. The swell direction is SE, which is exactly what this spot wants. It’s not a standout by any means, but it’s the best looking 8am window in the whole 16 days. After that, it’s back to tiny, onshore junk.

The honest truth is, there is no standout session here. The only two mornings that are even surfable are the 23rd of July and the 3rd of August, and both are for small, weak, mushy waves. The lack of any consistent swell and the persistent wind make this a stretch where you’d be better off finding a different hobby. The setup here is a beach/jetty, and with the combination of small swell and strong wind, it’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The crowds at Broadway can be an issue, and on these small days, it’ll be a waiting game for scraps.

Rusty.

Read more