Centreville Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s take a hard look at the only game in town for the next stretch: Centreville Beach.

Right off the bat, I gotta tell ya, it’s a tough start. For the next few days, we’re looking at a whole lot of weak, short-period swell with cross-onshore winds messing it up. The wave energy is moderate at best (419 to 1066), and the conditions are just choppy and poor. There’s really nothing to get excited about through the end of August. Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th are write-offs. Sunday the 30th is only marginal, and honestly, it’s still messy.

We finally get a little flicker of hope on Monday the 31st morning. The swell drops back to 3ft from the SSW with a decent 14-second period. The wind is light and cross-onshore, so the surf is small and a bit rippled. It’s marginal, but it’s the best of a bad bunch that day. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is about average for this time of year.

Tuesday the 1st of September sees a shift in swell direction to the NW, but the period drops to a weak 10 seconds and the wind turns onshore. Not great. Wednesday the 2nd is the first real glimmer: we get a cross-offshore wind from the SSW and the morning has clean 2ft swell from the SW with a very long 18-second period. The energy is moderate (434). By the afternoon, the swell picks up a little to 3ft from the WNW with a short 9-second period, but with clean conditions it’s okay. This is a small window for a longboard or a fun board.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting and a bit heavy. On Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th, a solid NW groundswell arrives. We’re talking 8ft to 8ft with a period of 11 to 13 seconds. The combined energy jumps into the strong range (1919 to 2709). Problem is, the wind is cross-onshore or onshore and choppy, or lumpy by the afternoon of the 3rd. This is big, powerful surf, over 8ft, so it’s for experts only. The beach break setup with onshore wind is going to be a washing machine. Honestly, this looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After that big pulse fades, we finally get a proper standout. Saturday the 5th of September morning is the pick of the whole outlook. The swell drops back to a manageable 3ft from the SW with a long 16-second period. The wind is clean cross-offshore from the SSW, and the water is clean. The energy is moderate (890). It won’t be pumping, but it will be clean, lined-up, and fun. This is the one to circle on the calendar.

The week that follows from the 6th to the 11th of September is mostly a return to poor or marginal conditions. Small swell, cross-onshore winds, chop. Nothing worth paddling out for. Then, on Saturday the 12th of September, we get another cheeky highlight. The morning starts glassy, with the wind off the NW and a 4ft SW groundswell with a 15-second period. That’s a very long period, so the waves will have good shape, though the sets will be spaced out. The combined energy is moderate (778). If you can get out early, that morning session is looking clean and promising. The afternoon gets a bit rippled.

So to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The only real standouts are the clean Saturday morning on September 5th with 3ft SW swell and cross-offshore wind, and the glassy Saturday morning on September 12th with 4ft SW groundswell. Everything else is a battle with chop and onshore wind. Get on those two windows.

Stay frothy.
Rusty.

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