Emma Wood State Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you about what's coming up over the next couple of weeks. It's a pretty quiet stretch for the most part, so we need to be patient. The water is sitting at a balmy 70°, which is a good 6° warmer than usual for this time of year – that's a big anomaly, so the water is feeling much warmer than normal down at Emma Wood State Beach.

The forecast starts off with a real flat spell. From Thursday, August 20th right through to the end of the month, we're looking at tiny, weak, and mostly messy conditions. The combined swell energy is often in the low to moderate range, but it's all coming from the wrong angles and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, keeping things pretty choppy and uninviting. There's a lot of "poor surf conditions" in the outlook, so don't expect much.

Now, as we cross into September, the first week looks rough too. A few days of some weak, short-period windswell from the west-northwest pop up, like on the 1st and 2nd, but with periods around 5 to 7 seconds, it's really just wind chop. The energy is moderate, but it's still not doing us any favors.

Finally, we get a glimmer of hope. The real standout, and the only time I'd honestly get excited, is on Friday, September 4th. That morning, the wind swings to a light cross-offshore from the east, which is a massive plus. It'll be clean. There's a 2 ft SSW swell, but the period is long at 18 seconds, pumping in a solid 452 of combined energy. That's a moderate-to-strong level of energy for this spot. The long period means these waves will have some real push and shape to them, making that small height feel a lot more powerful than it looks. This is a proper groundswell, and it'll be worth a look. The afternoon gets a bit messier with a cross-shore wind, so aim for that morning session.

For the rest of the period, it's a waiting game. The consistency is fairly good at this break, so it won't stay flat forever, but this window is a tough one. Because the swell is so small and the waves are weak, the conditions are better set up for a longboard or a SUP than a shortboard.

Rusty.

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