81st Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let's not beat around the bush – it's flat out there. I'm looking at the next couple of weeks and there's barely a pulse in the ocean. You might be waiting a long while before you even think about waxing up.

The water's at 80°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so at least it'll be comfortable while you're sitting out there doing nothing.

For 81st Street, the main story is the lack of any real swell. For the first week, from August 9th through the 16th, we are looking at tiny, weak waves. Swell heights are barely over 1ft, with periods of only 5-8 seconds. That's just local wind slop, and it's not doing us any favors. The energy is weak, sitting mostly in the single digits to the 40s. There’s a few windows with light offshore winds and clean surfaces, like Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th, but there's just no power behind it. It's a waiting game.

The second week starts with a little more energy on the 17th and 18th, with the wave energy climbing into the low hundreds. We see a jump in the period to 15 seconds on the 18th, which is a long-period groundswell. But the swell height is still tiny, only around 1ft. All that long-period energy and nowhere to go. It breaks too straight for the beach, making it a frustrating mess.

The only half-decent window I can see is Wednesday morning, August 19th. We get some offshore wind. The swell is still small at 1ft and from the ESE, but that offshore flow will clean it right up. It's just not going to be big.

Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle surfers, especially on those days with any cross-shore wind.

Even into the final days, the forecast isn't offering much. There's some glassy conditions on the 22nd and 23rd, but the surf remains weak and small.

Hang in there. Forecasts can change, but right now, it's a blank run that's pretty normal for this spot.

Rusty.

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