Emma Wood State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: this outlook for the next couple of weeks is a tough one. We’ve got a real flat spell on the cards, and honestly, for most of the run, the ocean is going to be looking pretty darn sleepy. There’s a bit of energy early on, but the conditions are a mess, and the swell just fades away after that. Let’s get into it.

The first bit of action, if you can call it that, starts on Monday the 27th of July. The swell is a tiny 2ft out of the SSW, which is a long-period groundswell (19 seconds), but it’s fighting a cross-on wind that’s making it choppy. The water is sitting at 70°—that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year, a real anomaly at 7°. The combined energy is weak (366), and the forecast is calling it poor surf. Honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for.

Tuesday the 28th is more of the same. The swell holds around 2ft to 3ft from the SSW, decent period (17 seconds), but that cross-on wind keeps it messy. The combined energy wavers between 365 and 439, but it’s still a no-go.

Wednesday the 29th of July, the morning shows a glimmer of hope. The wind shifts to an offshore direction (SW at 6 mph), and the swell is 2ft from the SSW (16-second period). The combined energy bumps up to 468, which is in the moderate range. The guidance labels it as marginal, but with that light offshore wind, it could be your best bet for a clean, small wave. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, but don’t expect much push. If you’re desperate for a slide, that’s your window.

From Thursday the 30th, it’s a downhill slide. The swell drops into the 2ft to 3ft range, but the period shortens day by day, and the winds are cross-on or onshore again. The combined energy drops from 364 down to 247 by Friday, and the scores are all zeros. The surf is just poor.

Then we hit a real gap. From Saturday the 1st of August right through to the end of the forecast on Tuesday the 11th of August, it’s a wasteland. Swell heights fall to 0.7ft to 2ft, periods get short and jumbled, and the combined energy dips into the weak (two-digit) range (down to 41 at one point). The wind is either light onshore or cross-on, but with no swell, it doesn’t matter. There’s a few days with a long-period pulse (21 seconds on the 6th of August) but it’s only 0.7ft. That’s not surf, that’s a lake ripple. The last few days see a tiny bump back to 2ft with a 15-second period, but the energy is still weak and the conditions are poor. It’s a long stretch of flat water.

So, the only standout is the Wednesday morning, 29th of July, at Emma Wood State Beach. With the light offshore wind and a long-period groundswell, that’s your one chance to score a clean, small wave for beginners. Even then, don’t expect much. The rest of the 16-day window is a big fat zero. It’s a blank run, but for this area, that’s not unusual. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on the charts, but for now, I’d be finding something else to do.

Rusty.

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