Dunes Hotel (Miami) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into what’s on offer for the Miami area over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I gotta call it like it is: the outlook is pretty flat for the whole 16-day window. There’s nothing that’s really going to get the heart racing. The surf from now through to the 19th of August is looking like a long stretch of small, messy, and mostly onshore conditions. The only break showing up in the lineup is Dunes Hotel (Miami), and it’s an inconsistent, sheltered spot that needs a specific NE swell to really work. Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re getting.

The first real chance for any sort of wave is on Tuesday morning, August 4th, but it’s tiny. We’re talking a miserable 0.3 ft of swell from the NE, with a short period of 8 seconds and very weak energy (4). The wind is a light cross-shore from the SSE, so it’s not totally blown out, but there’s just no power in the water. It’s a no-go.

Things don’t improve as we move through the week. The swell direction swings around to the ESE and E, which is the wrong direction for this sheltered break. The wave heights hover between 2 ft and 3 ft, but the periods are short (4-5 seconds), and the energy stays weak, never cracking triple digits (highest is 74). The wind is a constant problem, mostly onshore or cross-onshore from the ESE or E, at 9-16 mph, keeping the surface choppy and lumpy. There’s a brief moment on the morning of Friday, August 7th, with clear skies and a period of 5 seconds, but the wind is still onshore at 16 mph, so it’s not worth paddling out for.

Heading into the second week, from the 11th to the 19th, it’s more of the same. The swell stays tiny, the period is short, and the wind remains mostly onshore or cross-onshore. One to watch is the morning of Monday, August 17th – the wind drops to a light breeze from the SE, but the swell is only 2 ft from the SE with a period of 5 seconds and energy of just 22. It’s a small improvement, but still not enough to make it a worthwhile session. The water temperature will be about average for the time of year, so no need to worry about a wetsuit.

In short, this is a big old gap of nothing. Dunes Hotel is a sheltered spot, and without the right swell direction and clean wind, it’s just not going to fire. It’s the kind of stretch where you’re better off checking the forecasts and hoping for a change. For now, leave the boards in the car.

Rusty.

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