Crab Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you from the jump: Crab Island is looking pretty grim over the next two weeks. There’s really only one or two moments where you might paddle out and feel okay about it, but the rest of the time, you’re better off finding something else to do. We’re talking about a long run of days with nothing worth getting wet for, especially from the start through the end of August.

Kicking off, Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are just messy. Tuesday morning you’ve got a 4ft cross-off swell from the west at 7 seconds, but the combined energy is only moderate at 141 and the wave comment says poor. That afternoon and all of Wednesday it gets worse – dropping down to 3ft and 3ft, small, weak, and crossed-up. The water is reading 70°, which is a whopping 8° warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s much warmer than usual, but it doesn’t make up for the flat, grovelly conditions.

We grind through Thursday the 20th with some clean-looking but weak 4ft cross-off swells and energy around 158-163. Still, it’s not firing. Friday the 21st gives us a tiny window – Friday morning there’s a 2ft westerly swell, glassy, clean, but the energy is only 67 and the wave comment says it’s surfable but very ordinary. That’s the best of a bad batch, really. From Friday afternoon all the way through to Monday the 24th, it’s tiny, glassy or crossed-off dribble, with swells under 1.0ft and periods up to 14 seconds, combined energy dropping into the teens and twenties. Don’t even bother.

Now, here’s the one standout in the whole outlook, but it comes with a big warning. On Tuesday the 25th, a pulse of swell pushes through, with morning heights of 7ft from the southwest at 9 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to a massive 1188. That’s strong, powerful. But the wind on that morning is a fresh cross-onshore from the ESE at 22 mph, and it’s lumpy. That’s not paddle-surfing conditions, mate, that’s kite-surfing weather. The afternoon is still 5ft but messy. This is only for the heavies, and even then, it’s onshore slop. After that, from the 26th through the 30th, it’s back to tiny, weak, and crossed-up. There’s a brief, glassy window on Saturday afternoon the 29th with 2ft but just 61 energy and the wave comment says surfable but very ordinary.

Looking into early September, Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd are still no good – 4ft to 5ft but onshore and choppy, energy between 62 and 136. Not worth it.

Honestly, if you’re going to pick one time to go, the Friday morning of the 21st of August is your best shot. It’s small, clean, and you might catch a few ripples. For the big swell on the 25th, leave the foam board at home and bring the kite gear – the island setup with that wind is just a mess for a paddle. It’s a quiet spell for Crab Island, and that’s how it goes sometimes.

Rusty.

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