Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’re looking at a pretty tough stretch ahead for Empty Lots. This is a reef break, exposed to the swell, and it likes that SSE direction, but the wind and the waves are just not playing ball for most of this run.

Right off the bat, the water temp is sitting at 81° – that’s pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.

We kick things off this Sunday morning, the 13th. Tiny swell, only 2 ft out of the SW, but the period is a long 15 seconds. The real problem is the cross-shore wind, so it’s going to be a bit messy. The combined energy is weak (232), and the report calls it marginal. Sunday afternoon sees the wind go glassy with a slight breeze from the ENE, and the swell drops to 1 ft. It’ll be clean as a whistle but barely a ripple. You could get a knee-high one if you’re desperate, but it’s not really surfable.

Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th are more of the same. The swell stays tiny, under 3 ft, and that cross-shore wind is a constant issue. The energy picks up a bit Tuesday morning to 620, but the conditions are still lumpy and cross. The forecast is calling it poor or marginal. Not worth the paddle.

From Wednesday the 16th through to the end of the month, we see a slow build in swell, but the wind is our enemy. It’s almost always a fresh cross-shore breeze from the ENE or E, cranking at 18 to 22 mph. That’s going to put a nasty lumpy chop on the surface. By the 17th, the swell bumps up to 6 ft, but with that wind and a short period of 10 seconds, it’s going to be a washing machine. The combined energy jumps into the strong range (1209) but the forecast says “poor surf conditions” – that’s all you need to know.

The 20th of September sees a spike to 6 ft from the E, but with a period of just 8 seconds, that’s a short-period windswell. Combined with the fresh cross-shore, it’s going to be ugly. We finally get a clean window on the afternoon of the 24th, with a cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is 6 ft from the E with a 9-second period. That’s a lot of energy (879), but the quality is still only marginal.

After the 24th, it’s a long grind of 5 ft to 6 ft waves from the east, all with short periods and a fresh, messy cross-wind. The 28th looks a little better with a 3 ft swell and a longer 17-second period from the SSW, but again, the cross-wind ruins the surface.

Honestly, if I had to pick a standout, and I mean really scrape the barrel, it would be Sunday afternoon the 13th. The swell is tiny, but it’s glassy. You won't get a wave, but you’ll get wet. For the rest of the 16 days, the wind is just too strong and in the wrong direction for Empty Lots to offer anything clean. The set-up with this much cross-shore wind and building swell might honestly be more fun for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. It’s a long, frustrating gap with no real recommendations. Stick to the coffee shop and watch the forecast for a change.

Rusty.

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