81st Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next 16 days for 81st Street. Let’s be straight with you—this stretch is looking pretty bleak. The forecast is a long, drawn-out run of tiny, weak swell with almost no quality to speak of. Most of the time, the waves are barely there, and even when we get a bit of energy, the conditions are fighting us.

We’ve got a solid block of poor surf kicking off from Saturday the 15th through to the end of August. The first hint of anything even close to rideable isn’t until Monday the 17th, but even then, it’s just a tiny 2ft swell from the southeast, with a period of only 5-6 seconds. That’s short-period, weak stuff. The combined energy is only 42-51, so it’s barely a bump. The morning of the 17th has a clean offshore wind from the WSW, which is a positive, but the swell is so small it’s hardly worth paddling out for.

The rest of that week is a write-off. We’re stuck with knee-high slop, cross-shore winds, and periods that bounce around. The water temp is sitting at 80°F, which is about normal for the time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while you’re staring at a flat ocean.

There’s a bit of a pulse showing up around the 28th and 29th. The afternoon of Friday the 28th sees a 4ft swell from the east, with a period of 10 seconds and a combined energy of 282. That’s moderate energy, and it’s the biggest swell in the window. But the wind is a cross-onshore from the ESE, making it choppy. The following morning, Saturday the 29th, the swell holds at 4ft from the east, with a period of 7 seconds, and the energy is still decent at 173. The wind is a light cross-shore, which is better, but the short period means the waves will be a bit crumbly and less powerful.

The best chance for a decent surf comes on Sunday the 30th. The morning brings a clean 3ft swell from the east with a moderate offshore wind from the WSW. That’s clean, lined-up waves. The energy is 114. It’s not a massive day, but for this stretch, it’s the standout. It’s a small, clean wave for the early session. The afternoon also looks clean with a 3ft swell, but it’s dropping.

Honestly, 81st Street is an inconsistent spot, and this forecast is a perfect example of why. We’ve got a long gap of 12 days of nothing, then a tiny window of ordinary surf. For a beginner, the swell never gets above 5ft, so it remains safe, but the quality is so poor it’s hard to recommend. This setup is more interesting for a longboard or a stand-up paddle than a performance shortboard. The crowds are only “sometimes,” so you won’t be fighting for the few mushburgers that roll through.

If you’re desperate, aim for the morning of Sunday the 30th. It’s the cleanest, most promising session in the whole 16 days, but keep your expectations in check. Otherwise, it’s a long wait for nothing.

Rusty.

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