Emma Wood State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty quiet stretch ahead. For the first week, there’s barely a whisper of decent surf. The whole outlook starts with a long gap—nothing really worth paddling out for from Saturday the 11th all the way through to Friday the 17th. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 2ft, with a mix of short period and some longer period energy that just doesn’t have any push. Winds are mostly cross-on or onshore, and the wave comment is consistently “poor surf conditions.” It’s a bit of a flat spell.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Saturday the 18th. Emma Wood State Beach (a beach and reef setup, fairly exposed to the SW) gets a pulse of energy from the SSE. The morning has a light onshore breeze and 2ft of swell, but the combined energy jumps to 380 (moderate energy). It’s still only a marginal forecast—tide might mess with it—but it’s the first thing that’s not a total write-off. The swell direction is SSE, which isn’t bang on the optimum SW, but it’s something. The water temperature is sitting at 64°, which is about 2° warmer than the long-term average for this time of year—so it’s a bit on the warm side, but nothing too wild.

Sunday the 19th keeps a similar vibe with 3ft from the S and moderate energy (380), but again those cross-on winds from the WSW keep things a bit chopped. The combined energy is solid, but the quality just isn’t there for a standout session.

If I had to pick the best bet across the whole 16 days, it’d be Saturday the 18th morning. That early session has the lightest breeze and the swell is just big enough to get some fun little waves at Emma Wood. It’s not a classic, but it’s as good as it gets in this window. For a beginner, the 2ft is perfect—small and safe. But crowds are often an issue here, so expect company.

Past that, the outlook fades again. The second week from the 21st onward sees small swell, weak energy (mostly under 200), and persistent cross-on winds. There’s a slight uptick on the 25th with a 2ft SW swell at a very long 20-second period, but the wind is still cross-on, and the break is a beach-and-reef setup—long period groundswell like that can be a bit too straight for the beach, so it’s a gamble. Not enough to get excited about.

So, bottom line: a long flat start, one slightly promising morning on the 18th, and then a slow fade. It’s not a total blank—the area tends to have some consistency, so it won’t stay poor forever—but for now, keep your expectations low.

Rusty.

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