Coastal Bend Area Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next 16 days on the Coastal Bend Area are looking pretty grim. We’ve got a run of small, weak, onshore slop that’s going to test your patience. There’s no standout session, no hidden gem, just a long stretch of poor conditions. The first decent recommendation doesn’t even pop up until the middle of the second week, with a gap of nearly two weeks of flat, choppy water before we see anything borderline rideable.

The water temp is sitting at 85°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s really the only warm thing about the outlook.

We start this Friday, July 24th, with the Coastal Bend Area. The swell is a tiny 3 ft from the SSE at a short, weak 6 seconds. The combined energy is a measly 49, and with a 15 mph onshore wind, it’s just blown-out, messy junk. This pattern sticks around for days. Saturday morning (July 25th) is similar with 3 ft SE swell, a 5-second period, and a gentle onshore breeze – still garbage. The whole first week is a write-off: cross-onshore winds, tiny waves under 3 ft, and periods never getting past 6 seconds. The combined energy stays below 100, which is basically flat. It’s the kind of setup that would be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

We finally see a tiny flicker of hope on Monday, August 3rd. The morning brings 4 ft from the SSE at 6 seconds, with a combined energy of 100 – the first time we hit triple digits. But the wind is still a cross-onshore 12 mph and the waves are called “poor surf conditions.” It’s not good.

The only real chance for something half-decent comes on Wednesday, August 5th. The afternoon session shows a 4 ft swell from the SE with a period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy climbs to 149. The wind turns onshore, so it’s still not clean, but this is the biggest, most energetic swell of the entire 16-day window. It’s not big enough to be dangerous, but at 4 ft, it’s a bit much for total beginners if the wind wasn’t making a mess of it. The morning of August 5th is a little smaller (4 ft, 123 energy) but with a lighter cross-onshore breeze, so it might be slightly less choppy. Thursday, August 6th, keeps the energy up (161 in the morning from 4 ft SE swell, 7 seconds), but again, the wind is a cross-onshore, keeping it choppy.

For the rest of the second week, the swell drops back down to 3 ft – 4 ft with short periods and onshore winds. The combined energy fades back under 100. It’s just a long, drawn-out period of poor surf. The crowds are listed as “sometimes” here, but honestly, with conditions this bad, you probably won’t see many folks out.

So, to wrap it up: if you’re desperate, the best of a bad lot is the afternoon of August 5th or the morning of August 6th, but even that’s a long way off and far from a guaranteed good time. Keep your expectations low and your wetsuit ready.

Rusty.

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