81st Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be real with you. Lookin’ at the next 16 days for 81st Street, it’s a tough stretch. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off unless you’ve got a longboard and zero expectations. The swell is tiny, the energy is weak, and the conditions are just ordinary.

We kick off Saturday the 22nd - that’s the first day with any surf on offer, but it’s barely a ripple. You’re looking at a tiny 0.7ft easterly bump with a long 13-second period, which is a tease of a groundswell, but the combined energy is a measly 34 (weak). Morning is a write-off with a risk of thunderstorms and a cross-shore wind. The afternoon cleans up a touch with a cross-off breeze, giving you 1.0ft waves (period 8 seconds), but it’s still very ordinary. Sunday the 23rd has clean offshore wind in the morning, but the swell is only 0.7ft. The water temperature is a warm 80°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The pattern continues. Tiny, weak swell from the east and southeast. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are onshore and cross-onshore, with swell stuck at 0.7ft to 1.0ft. The energy figures are all in the teens and twenties. Honestly, it’s a whole lot of nothing. Wednesday the 26th through Friday the 28th see the swell push up to just 1ft, but the energy is still low. There’s a brief moment Thursday morning with a light cross-shore, but it’s not enough to get excited about. The weekend of the 29th and 30th is a no-go, with onshore winds and a messy, short-period swell.

Now, there is a *real* glimmer, but it’s a long way off. On Tuesday the 1st of September, we finally see some proper energy. The swell jumps to 5ft from the east with a 6-second period in the morning. The energy is moderate (193). The wind is cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean. By the afternoon, we get a bigger pulse: 5ft from the east, but the period extends to a lovely 13 seconds, and the combined energy rockets up to 806 (strong!). The wind stays cross-off, so it’ll be clean again. This is the standout of the whole forecast. However, because it’s over a week away, treat it as promising but not locked in yet. Be on standby for that one.

The rest of the second week falls back into the same old story. Wednesday the 2nd shows some clean, offshore wind but the swell drops back to 2ft. After that, it’s back to tiny, weak, and onshore right through to Sunday the 6th of September.

So, for the whole 16 days, there’s only one real window of interest: Tuesday the 1st of September. Get it while you can, but don’t hold your breath for the rest.

Rusty.

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