81st Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks. It's a slow start, I won't lie to you. The first week is pretty much a write-off, so don't bother waxing up just yet. We’re looking at a solid gap of nearly no surf worth mentioning for that first stretch.

We’re at 81st Street, and the water temp is sitting about average for this time of year. Nothing wild there. The first few days are a real grind. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th are nothing but lumpy, onshore junk with tiny swell and weak energy (42 to 68). The wind is all wrong, making it a mess. That carries right through to the 19th with nothing but poor conditions, tiny waves, and weak energy readings mostly under 100. It’s frustrating.

Now, there’s a little flicker of hope on Sunday the 20th. We get a morning window with a clean, offshore breeze from the WSW, and a small 1ft groundswell from the ESE with a long period of 11 seconds. The energy is still low (47), but it’s clean. For a patient surfer on a longboard, it could be a nice, peaceful session. But it's inconsistent here, so don't expect much.

The real standout, the one to circle on your calendar, is Tuesday the 22nd of September. This is the best on offer. We see a jump in swell to 8ft from the ENE with moderate energy (745). The morning brings a light, cross-offshore SSW breeze – that’s gold. The waves will be clean and solid. That’s your day. Just be warned, at 8ft it’s getting into expert territory, so leave the foam boards at home. It’s a proper session for those who know what they’re doing.

There’s another promising window on the morning of Wednesday the 23rd, with a clean offshore breeze from the W and a 5ft ENE swell (369 energy). Not as big, but still good, solid waves for a strong intermediate or above.

Looking further out, the second week has a few more possibilities, but they’re less certain. The morning of Friday the 25th has a 5ft groundswell from the ENE with a long 11-second period and a cross-offshore breeze, energy reading at 597. That could be really good if the wind plays ball, but it’s a longer-range call. Same with the morning of Sunday the 27th, a cleaner 4ft E swell with offshore wind from the W.

Overall, it’s a story of two weeks: a slow, frustrating first week and a much more promising second week with a couple of proper standout days. Don’t force it early. Save your energy for the 22nd.

Rusty.

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