Chicahauk Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Chicahauk.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this isn’t our finest stretch. The first few days are pretty weak. We’ve got a tiny bit of swell, but it’s not enough to get excited about. The water is sitting at a comfortable 80°, which is pretty much average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Wednesday morning on the 5th is about as good as it gets early on, and that’s not saying much. We’re looking at a small 2ft swell from the southeast, with a short 6-second period – that’s windswell, not groundswell, so it’s gonna be weak and a bit crumbly. The wind is a light SSW cross-off, so the surface will be clean. It’s surfable, but just barely. Thursday morning is much the same story – 2ft, same direction, still weak. The wind stays light, so it’ll be clean, but the lack of size and power makes it a real struggle for a decent wave.

Friday the 7th morning sees a little shift. The swell is still tiny at 2ft from the SE, but the period creeps up to 7 seconds. The wind turns SW and offshore, which is a good thing – it’ll keep the surface glassy. The energy is still weak, so don’t expect to get your heart pumping. Saturday morning is similar, with a 2ft SE swell and a slightly longer 8-second period, under a moderate SW offshore breeze. The energy is a bit better, but still nothing to brag about.

Then we hit a real dry spell. From Sunday the 9th all the way through to the 17th, it’s a whole lot of nothing. The swell drops to 0.7ft or 1.0ft for days on end. The wind is often offshore, so the surface is clean, but there’s just no wave to ride. The energy is in the single digits or low teens – that’s as weak as it gets. This is a proper lull.

Now, the run home. The 18th of August, Tuesday morning, shows a little pulse. The swell is 2ft from the SE, with an 8-second period, and the energy climbs a bit – still weak but more than we’ve seen. The wind is a moderate W offshore, so it’ll be clean. It’s still only “surfable,” not good.

The one standout comes late in the game. On Thursday the 20th of August, we finally get some size. The swell builds to 5ft in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon, out of the NNE. That’s a bigger direction for this spot. The period is short at 6 seconds, so it’s gonna be a bit crumbly, but the energy jumps to a moderate level – finally. The wind is WSW at 25 km/h (16 mph) and offshore, so the conditions will be clean. The afternoon is the highlight – the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” This is the best window of the whole 16 days. The swell is around 6ft, which is getting into the intermediate zone, but with the offshore wind, it’ll be a lot of fun. The ENE swell direction doesn’t match the optimum E direction perfectly, but it’s close enough to work.

Because of the short period, it’s not a classic groundswell, but it’s the only real pulse of energy we’ve got. The break is a sandbar, so it’ll be a bit more unpredictable with the short-period swell, but the offshore wind will help a lot. Crowds are possible here – it says “sometimes,” so you might have some company.

The long gap from the 9th to the 17th is a real bummer, but things do pick up at the end. Keep an eye on that Thursday the 20th.

Rusty.

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