81st Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Truth be told, the next 16 days are looking pretty quiet around here. We’ve got a long stretch of small, messy conditions with hardly any real juice to get excited about. The consistency is a problem – it’s mostly inconsistent, and the swell just doesn’t have the energy to make it worth paddling out for most of the time. The first surfable suggestion doesn’t even pop up until Tuesday, September 1st, and even then, it’s only a 1/10.

81st Street is the only spot on the cards. The swell starts off tiny, around 1 ft to 1 ft, mostly from the ESE and SE, with periods all over the place. The combined swell energy is weak, sitting between 15 and 95 for most of the first week, so don’t expect any push. The wind is a major letdown too – mostly cross or onshore, with only a few moments of clean conditions. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

The first real glimmer comes on Tuesday, September 1st, in the morning. The swell is still tiny at 1 ft, but it’s from the ESE with a very long period of 15 seconds – that’s a groundswell. The wind is offshore from the west, so it’ll be clean. The energy is still weak (59), but for a long-period groundswell, it might offer a few better-shaped waves at a point or reef, if there were any around. At a beach break like this, that long period can make it break a bit straight.

The next standout is Wednesday, September 2nd, in the morning. Again, small swell at 1 ft from the ESE, but with a period of 12 seconds and a light cross-offshore breeze from the WNW. The combined energy ramps up a bit to 95, which is still weak but better. The conditions will be clean, so if you’re desperate for a splash, this is your window.

The best of the whole run, and the only one worth getting up for, is Friday, September 4th, in the morning. The swell finally bumps up to 4 ft from the ENE. The period is a short 5 seconds, which means it’ll be a bit crumbly, but the wind is light and cross-offshore from the WNW, so it’ll be clean. The combined energy hits 124, which is moderate, so there’s enough to push a small wave. For a beginner spot, this is the most accessible it gets in the whole 16 days, but watch out – the crowds can be around sometimes.

Saturday, September 5th, morning is also a decent call. The swell drops to 3 ft from the ENE, with a 7-second period. Offshore wind from the west, clean conditions, and moderate energy at 127. It’s a solid backup if the 4th is too crowded.

For the rest of the run, it’s mostly small, weak, and wind-affected. The second week is especially quiet, with swell dropping back to 1 ft to 2 ft and very weak energy. Nothing to get excited about.

Signing off, Rusty.

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