D Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for D Street over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow start, so don’t be in a rush. We’re looking at a pretty long stretch of marginal to poor conditions right through most of the period, but there’s a little glimmer of hope right at the very end.

The water temperature is sitting at 71°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a bit of a pleasant surprise if you’re jumping in.

From Thursday the 20th afternoon all the way through to about the end of August, it’s frankly pretty grim. We’ve got tiny swell, mostly around 2 ft to 3 ft, and the wind is constantly cross-on or onshore, so it’s choppy and messy. The combined wave energy is weak, mostly in the low hundreds – for example, Thursday afternoon is only 280 (weak energy), and it doesn’t really get much better for days. There’s a bit of a bump in energy around Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th, with swell heights creeping up to 4 ft or 5 ft, but the wind stays cross-on and the surf quality is still only marginal. The period is mostly short at 12 to 14 seconds, so it’s weak, wind-affected stuff. Honest truth: there’s nothing here worth paddling out for.

The first week of September doesn’t bring much joy either. Tuesday the 1st has a weird shift with a short period of 8 seconds from the WNW, and the wind picks up to a moderate cross-shore – that’s more kite-surfing territory than a clean surf session. The energy is still weak, around 420.

Then, finally, we get a bit of life. On Thursday the 3rd, the swell period jumps to 20 or 21 seconds – that’s a proper long-period groundswell, which is great for bringing energy to the line-up. The swell height is still modest at 3 ft to 3 ft, but the energy is climbing, hitting 836 by Thursday afternoon. The wind is light cross-on, so it’s not perfect, but it’s getting closer.

The real standout comes on Friday the 4th of September. Swell builds to 4 ft to 4 ft from the SSW with a period of 17 to 18 seconds – that’s a solid, long-period swell. The combined wave energy jumps to 1198 in the morning and 1425 in the afternoon – that’s strong, very strong energy. The wind is light cross-on in the morning, then turning cross-shore in the afternoon with a gentle breeze. This is the best window of the whole outlook. D Street is a sandbar, exposed to SW swell, and the direction is SSW, which is close to the optimum SW. It’s not going to be a world-class day, but it’s the only day where it’s worth getting in the water. The crowds are often here, so expect company. It’s still a fairly consistent break, so you’ll get waves. Just be aware that with that long period, the sets will be spaced out, and the bigger energy might make it a bit too much for beginners – the afternoon has 4 ft waves, which is on the edge.

So, to sum it up: the first two weeks are mostly a write-off. The best bet is Friday the 4th of September, morning through afternoon, with the SSW groundswell and that strong energy. Don’t hold your breath for the rest.

Rusty.

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