81st Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, it's a tough start. The first week and a half is a real desert. We're looking at a long gap from now through to the 22nd of September with nothing worth paddling out for. 81st Street is showing tiny, weak swell and mostly onshore or cross winds. The water’s a balmy 80.1°, which is much warmer than normal for the time of year, so that's a nice bonus for a swim, but not for surfing.

We finally see a pulse of life on the morning of Wednesday the 23rd. It’s not a classic, with 2ft of weak, short-period ENE windswell and a combined energy of only (61). But the wind is a light cross-offshore and it's clean, so you might find a few crumbly, surfable waves if you're desperate. The standout, if you can call it that, comes on Thursday the 24th. It's still tiny at 3.6ft, and for a beach break that short period (4 seconds) is a real bummer, but the morning is glassy. Absolutely flat-still, which is a major positive for a break that can get messy. Combined energy is only (70), so it's weak, but those clean conditions might give you a few fun little runners.

The end of the month starts to show some better numbers, but it's still not a sure thing. On the 25th and 26th of September we see the swell push up to 4.6ft and combined energy climbing into the strong range (172-198). The problem is, the wind is all wrong. It's cross or cross-off from the north, so it'll be bumpy and chopped up at this exposed beach break. The 27th brings a jump to 4.6ft NE swell with a combined energy of (297), which is a solid push, but again it's onshore. For paddle surfing, it's just not going to be clean.

There is one late show on the horizon. The morning of Tuesday the 29th of September. Glassy conditions with a 5.6ft NNE swell. The period is a short 6 seconds, so it's windswell and not super powerful, but for a moment it will be clean and waist to chest high. Combined energy is a solid (187), so there's some push there. It's the best looking window in the whole 16-day stretch, but it's over a week away, so don't hold your breath.

Overall, this is a rough stretch for 81st Street. The consistency is poor, and the best looking days are all blown out or too small. Honestly, with the swell building and the onshore flow, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing through the second week. Let's hope the forecasts change.

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