Chicahauk Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright crew, Rusty here. Let's get real about Chicahauk. The 16-day outlook is a tough one. The sandbar is exposed to the east, which is what we need, but the swells coming through are just not cooperating. We're looking at a long stretch of flatness and poor conditions, so let's break it down, day by day.

Right now, we're in the doldrums. The first few days are a total write-off. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are all about tiny, weak, wind-blown slop. The swell is barely 2ft from the northeast with a weak period of 4 seconds and combined energy of just 25 – that's flatter than a pancake. The cross-onshore winds chop it up, making it a complete non-starter. This carries right through the early part of the week.

You'll see a brief glimmer on Monday the 17th morning. The wind swings offshore from the WSW, which cleans things up, but the swell is only 2ft from the east with a period of 6 seconds (energy at 35). It's ankle-biters at best. The afternoon gets a little bump in period to 8 seconds and some cleaner conditions, but the wave quality is still very ordinary. It's a small step up, but nothing to get excited about.

From Tuesday the 18th through to Friday the 21st, it's just more of the same – tiny swells, poor quality, and not worth your time. The water temp is sitting at 82°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than average for this time of year – feels like summer bathwater, but the surf is a desert.

Then we hit a bit of a pattern change. The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd sees a slight bump in swell from the northeast, with the morning of Saturday the 22nd offering the best of a bad lot. The swell is 3ft from the NE, period 6 seconds, and energy hits 84. The wind is offshore from the SW, making it clean. It's still small and weak, but it's the cleanest wave in the whole forecast. You'll be on a longboard sharing it with a few others, as crowds are sometimes a factor here.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is a long way out. Sunday the 30th of August sees the biggest swell of the entire period, with 5ft from the ENE and a period of 6 seconds, energy jumping to 155. That's moderate energy, but the period is short and the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, making it choppy. It's still classed as poor surf. For a sandbar that needs a clean east swell, this is a messy, wind-blown event. It's not a paddler's dream.

Honestly, the whole 16-day window is a struggle. The breaks that are fairly consistent here aren't firing, and the conditions are rarely aligned. You might get a clean, glassy morning here and there, but the waves are just too small. If you're desperate, the morning of Saturday the 22nd is your best bet with a clean 3ft wave. Everything else is a skip. Longer-range, the bigger swell on the 30th is promising in size but the wind will ruin it for paddle surfing. It might be a better setup for the kite crew.

Rusty, signing off.

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