Crystals Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab a coffee and listen up. I’ll be honest with you, straight up. This is a tough stretch for Crystals. Looking at the whole 16-day run, it’s a real struggle. We’ve got almost two weeks of poor conditions before we even see a glimmer of hope.

The water is sitting at 76°F, which is a massive 6°F warmer than what’s normal for this time of year. That’s very unusual, feels like the ocean just skipped autumn.

For the first week and a half, it’s all small, weak surf with crummy onshore or cross-shore winds. The wave energy is a joke, mostly in the 20s and 60s (a weak, barely moving ocean). The combination of tiny swell and wind means it’s just not worth paddling out. A few mornings like Thursday the 18th look clean, but the swell is a pathetic 1.0ft from the southeast, so you’re just floating around.

We get a little bump on Saturday the 21st with 5ft from the east-northeast, but it’s getting hammered by a 15 mph cross-onshore wind, making everything a messy, choppy lump. The energy jumps to 188 (moderate) but the quality is non-existent. This setup, with that wind and a beach/jetty break, honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Same story continues through the 22nd and 23rd with similar sized swell but lumpy, wind-affected conditions.

Tuesday the 24th is a tease. We get a morning with zero wind and glassy conditions, horseshoe crabs could walk on it. The swell is a tiny 3ft from the east. It’s surfable, but ‘ordinary’ is the kindest word for it. Then we go into another dry spell, small swell and strong offshore winds on the 25th, which cleans it up but leaves nothing to ride.

The highlight, the one true standout in this whole forecast, is Wednesday the 30th. The swell finally shows up. We’re looking at a solid 7ft of east-northeast swell, with the energy rating hitting 558 (strong). That’s a proper wall of water. The wind is cross-shore at 12 mph from the north, which is manageable. But be warned, at over 5ft, this is stepping into expert territory. The period is only 8 seconds, so it’s a short-period wind swell, not a clean groundswell, but for this spot, it’s the best we’ve got. It’s still going on Wednesday afternoon, 6ft and 564 energy, with lighter cross-onshore winds. That is your window. It’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it, but that’s the day to be calling in sick.

Right now, you’re looking at ten days of nothing before that little shot. It’s grim, but with winter coming, stuff can change. We’ll see.

Rusty

Read more