81st Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right now, 81st Street is pretty much flat. The first surf recommendation doesn’t kick in until Thursday the 27th of August, so you’re looking at a couple of days of nothing worth getting wet for. After that, it’s a real mixed bag with a lot of poor conditions and not much to get excited about.

Thursday the 27th morning finally brings something surfable, but it’s tiny. You’ve got a weak 1ft swell out of the ESE. The wind is light cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean, but the waves are just too small to call it good. The combined wave energy is really weak (42), so don’t expect much push.

The first real standout doesn’t show up until Tuesday the 1st of September afternoon. Swell jumps to a waist-high 2ft from the E, and while the period is 14 seconds, the wind is light cross-onshore, so it won’t be glassy. But the real story is the energy – it jumps to a moderate 223, a big step up. Still, the conditions are only marginal, so it’s not a sure thing. The water temperature is 79°, which is pretty normal for the time of year.

Wednesday the 2nd of September afternoon looks like the best of what’s on offer. Clean conditions with a light offshore wind from the WSW, small 2ft swell from the E with a 12-second period. The combined energy is 98, still just moderate, and the vibe is surfable but very ordinary. Not a day to go out of your way for.

There’s another bump on Thursday the 3rd of September, with the swell lifting to 3ft by the afternoon from ESE, 14-second period, and the energy up to 303 – solid moderate. But the cross-onshore wind chops it up, so it’s not clean. It’s frustrating; there’s power, but the wind spoils it.

Then we get to Friday the 4th of September – things get real, but not in a good way for paddle surfing. A big 8ft ENE swell rolls in, with very strong wave energy (804–829), but it’s got a short 8-second period and strong cross-shore winds. At that size and with that mess, 81st Street is better suited for kite surfers than anyone with a paddleboard. This carries into Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th, with similar strong, messy conditions – cross-onshore winds, lumpy chop. By Sunday morning it’s dropped to 5ft, still cross-shore and choppy.

Finally, Monday the 7th of September morning offers another clean window. Light cross-offshore wind, 3ft swell from the E with an 8-second period. Energy is 181, moderate, and the waves are surfable but ordinary. It’s the cleanest of the bigger days, but still not a standout for quality.

Overall, there’s no day that truly rips. The cleanest windows come on the smallest swells, and when there’s size, the wind ruins it. The best bet is probably Wednesday the 2nd of September afternoon for some clean but tiny waves, or Monday the 7th of September morning for slightly bigger, clean but ordinary surf. Keep your expectations low, mate.

Rusty.

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