Delray Public Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get straight into it. It’s a tough stretch for waves around here, no two ways about it. We’ve got a solid 16-day window to look at, but the surf is going to be fighting a losing battle against small, weak, and mostly onshore conditions for the bulk of it.

The only real spot on the map is Delray Public Beach. It’s a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent beach break, but that consistency doesn’t mean much when the swell is this anemic. The water temp is running about 86°, which is 0.9° warmer than average for this time of year, so it’s basically normal—just a touch on the warm side.

The pattern is clear: we start with a few days of nothing but dribble. The whole first week is a write-off. The swell is tiny, mostly under 2ft, with periods of only 4 to 7 seconds, and the wind, while light at times, is mostly onshore or cross-onshore. Combined wave energy is stuck in the weak zone, with values like 30 on Monday morning, or 18 on Tuesday morning. It’s flat, chopped, and full of whitewater. Not a single wave worth paddling for.

There is a brief pulse of energy on the 15th—a Saturday—when the swell bumps up to 3ft, but it’s coming from the SE with a 5-second period, and the wind is a moderate cross-onshore. The combined energy jumps to 60, which is still weak, but it’s the most we see for a while. It’s still a messy, wind-blown day, and honestly, it looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. Not much better on the 16th either, with 2ft and cross-onshore winds.

The long-range forecast teases us with something better. On the morning of the 18th, we see a jump to a 15-second period, which is a proper groundswell signal. The energy is still low, around 32, and the swell height is only 0.7ft, but that long period is a hint of something. The wind that morning is a light cross-offshore from the NNW, which would keep the surface clean. It’s still too small to get excited about, but it’s the first sign of a change.

The 19th and 20th keep that long-period energy in the water, with periods of 12 and 11 seconds, but the swell heights stay tiny. We’re talking 1ft. The wind is light, but mostly onshore or cross-shore, so it’s not going to be clean. The energy values are creeping up into the 50s and 80s, which is still in the weak category, but at least the ocean is trying.

The last few days, from the 21st on, revert back to the small, short-period junk. The risk of thunderstorms appears on the 22nd and 24th, with onshore winds picking up. The swell is back down to 0.7ft to 2ft with periods of 3 to 8 seconds. It’s a sad end to the run.

So, here’s the deal. There are no standout days. The best you can hope for is a small, clean wave on the morning of the 18th when that long-period swell and the cross-offshore wind might just line up for a glassy little ankle-biter. It’s a stretch, but it’s the only thing on the menu. The rest of the time, it’s a flat, lumpy, wind-affected beach. Keep your board in the car, but don’t hold your breath. Forecasts can change, and this stretch of beach is fairly consistent, so it won’t stay this poor forever.

Rusty

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