Emma Wood State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a good look at what's coming our way for the next couple of weeks. I'll be straight with you, it's not looking like a classic run for this stretch of coast, but there are a couple of tiny windows if you're desperate for a paddle.

The main issue is the wind. For the next week and a half, we're looking at a persistent cross-onshore or onshore breeze from the west to west-southwest. This is going to mess up the wave faces on most days, making conditions pretty average. The swell energy is there at times, with combined energy values ranging from weak (82) to moderate (457) depending on the day, but the wind is the enemy here.

Let's start at Emma Wood State Beach. This is a beach and reef setup, fairly exposed to the southwest, which is the direction most of the swell is coming from. The water is running at about 70°F which is a huge 6°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that's really unusual, and you'll definitely feel it if you get in.

The first few days, from the 4th to the 9th of September, are basically a write-off. The swell is small, around 2ft to 4ft from the south-southwest, and every session is either "poor surf conditions" or just marginal. The wind is on it from the wrong angles. Not worth the drive.

Now, there is a brief moment on the morning of Thursday the 10th. The wind goes glassy – dead calm from the south-southwest. The swell is a tiny 2ft from the southwest, but with a very long 17-second period. That long period will give it a bit of push, but it's really small and prone to closing out on a beach break like this. The combined energy is only 251, so it's weak. It's a session for a longboard or a foamie, and you'd need to be patient. This is probably the best on offer across the whole 16 days, but it's a borderline call.

After that, things turn ugly again. The 11th brings a jump in size to 5ft from the west, but the period drops to a horrible 6 seconds and the wind is howling at 16 mph cross-onshore. That's a total mess. From the 12th right through to the 19th of September, it's a long, drawn-out stretch of poor conditions. The swell is tiny to small, the wind is persistently cross-onshore, and every session is rated as poor. You'll see combined energy values drop as low as 82. There is literally nothing to recommend in that second week. The 17th of September morning has a 1ft swell from the southwest with a very long 20-second period, but the wind is onshore and it's just too small to matter. The long period at a beach break like this will also make it break pretty straight.

So, to sum it up: this forecast is a tough one. The only standout, and I use that term loosely, is the glassy morning on Thursday the 10th of September. If you have a longboard and zero expectations, you might find a few crumbly ones. For the rest of the period, save your energy. The forecast can change, but as it stands, it's a solid two-week gap with no real surf to speak of.

Rusty.

Read more