Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. We’re looking at Empty Lots, and it’s a tough one. For the first couple of weeks, the forecast is basically a bust for any decent paddle surfing.

The main problem is the wind. It’s coming from the ENE at 18 to 22 mph, and it’s always cross-shore. That’s a fresh breeze that’s just churning up the ocean, making for lumpy, messy cross-chop. From Thursday, July 9th, right through to Sunday, July 19th, every session is listed as "poor surf conditions." The swell heights are between 2 and 7 feet, but it doesn’t matter because the wind is just ruining any chance of a clean wave. The wave energy is moderate, in the 300 to 800 range, but it’s all junk.

There’s a small glimmer around Monday, July 20th. The forecast goes to "marginal" with a score of just 1 out of 10. On Monday afternoon, you’ve got a 3ft swell from the East with a 16-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, which is good for a reef, but the wind is still a cross-shore 18 mph. The energy jumps up to 1145, which is strong. The best chance in this whole run looks like Tuesday, July 21st. The morning shows a 4ft swell from the East at 17 seconds, which is very long period, and the energy is up at 1218. That’s good energy for a reef, but still, the wind is a cross-shore 18 mph. It’s not clean, offshore, or glassy, but the quality of the swell is the best we’ll see.

After that, it drops back into poor conditions from the 22nd through the 24th. The wind actually picks up to 25 mph on the Friday morning of the 24th, so that’s a hard no. The only real standout in this entire 16-day window is that Tuesday, July 21st morning session. The swell direction is East, which is the opposite of the optimum SSE this reef likes, but with that period and energy, it might still have some shape. It’s a fairly consistent break, but it can get crowded sometimes. For anything over 5 feet, it’s not for beginners, and this is a reef, so it’s always for advanced surfers.

With the wind never letting up, this setup might be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during the worst of it. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Rusty.

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