Dunes Hotel (Miami) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Rusty here.

Look, I’ve got to be straight with you – the 16-day outlook for this area is a flat spell. The first solid recommendation doesn’t pop up until Saturday afternoon, August 22nd, and even then, it’s a tough sell. We’re looking at a long stretch of barely any surf, and it doesn’t really get better from there.

The only spot in the game is Dunes Hotel (Miami). It’s a sheltered, inconsistent beginner break, and it rarely sees any real action. The water is sitting at 88°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the swim is pleasant.

We kick off on Saturday afternoon, August 22nd. The swell is a pathetic 0.3ft from the NE with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is a measly 7 (weak). The wind is a cross-onshore breeze at 16 mph, which will chop it up good. It’s poor. Sunday morning, August 23rd, is more of the same: 0.3ft, 9 seconds, cross-on wind, just a little lighter. Sunday afternoon stays tiny at 1ft from the SE, but the period drops to a shocking 4 seconds – that’s windswill, not a wave you want to ride.

The whole following week continues this sad story. Monday through to the end of August, we see the same pattern: tiny swell heights between 0.3ft and 3ft, mostly from the SE or ESE, with periods rarely getting above 5 seconds. The wind is either cross-onshore or onshore, and the combined energy never cracks 44 (weak). Every single entry says “poor surf conditions.” It’s a write-off for paddle surfing. Honestly, with the consistent onshore breeze and tiny, weak swell, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than for a surfboard.

Into the first week of September, we get a brief tease. On Thursday morning, September 3rd, the swell is still only 0.7ft, but the period jumps to 10 seconds from the E, and the wind goes light and cross-shore. The combined energy is only 12 (weak), so it’s still tiny, but it might be the least terrible moment of the whole forecast. Still, it’s not worth a paddle out.

After that, it’s back to the dead zone. From Friday, September 4th, all the way through Sunday, September 6th, the swell drops to 0.3ft with periods of 4 to 7 seconds and combined energy of 2 to 4 (very weak). The wind is light and onshore, so it’s just flat and glassy. There’s nothing to ride.

The bottom line: there are no good surf options in this 16-day window. For a sheltered spot like Dunes Hotel, a blank run like this is pretty normal. Keep your board in the car and your eyes on the forecast – it tends not to stay poor for long, and things can change.

Rusty.

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