81st Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let me level with you about 81st Street. The honest truth is, we're looking at a long, quiet stretch ahead. For the next couple of weeks, the surf is going to be a struggle. Most days we're talking about tiny, weak swell, often from the wrong directions and with onshore or cross-onshore winds making a mess of things. It's going to be a real grind for anyone looking for a proper wave.

The water temp is sitting at about 79°F right now, which is a touch warmer than we'd normally expect for this time of year, so at least a paddle won't feel cold.

The first week is particularly bleak. From Wednesday the 8th right through to around Saturday the 19th of July, it's just day after day of poor surf conditions. The swell is tiny, mostly under 2 ft, with weak energy readings mostly in the low double digits, like 42, or even down to 5 to 14. The winds are almost always wrong – onshore, cross-onshore, or just adding chop. It’s a real bummer.

We do get a slight pulse of energy around the 13th and 14th of July. The swell bumps up to around 4 ft from the east on Monday the 13th, with combined energy hitting 147 – that's moderate. But don't get too excited. The wind is blowing onshore at 15 to 19 mph, which will turn any wave into a mess. It's not for paddle surfing; honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing.

There are a couple of mornings that are clean, like Friday the 10th with light offshore winds, but the swell is a pathetic 1 ft with a short, weak period. You could maybe sit on a foamie and get some dribbles, but there's no power.

The only flicker of anything close to surfable comes right at the end of the period. On Wednesday the 22nd of July afternoon, we get a brief moment of glassy conditions with a light SSW wind. The swell is still only 3 ft from the southeast with a short period of 7 seconds, and the energy is 100. The note calls it "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s the absolute best on offer, but that's not saying much. For a break that's already inconsistent, and a wave that small and weak, it's a pass for most.

So, the bottom line: there are no true standouts here. We've got a massive gap of almost no surf for the first 12 days, and the only real window is that glassy afternoon on the 22nd, but the swell is minimal. It's one of those blank runs that happens. Keep an eye on the charts, because it tends not to stay this poor forever, but for now, save your wax.

Rusty.

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