Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got on offer.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty grim run for a while. The wind is just a pain in the arse for the first couple of weeks, and the swell is not playing ball at all. The first few days here are a write-off; you’re looking at clean-ish lines but with a cross-shore breeze that’s just killing it. The water temp is sitting at 81°F which is about what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing weird going on there. We’ve got a weak, long-period groundswell, but the energy is pathetic – like 478 (moderate wave energy) on Friday morning, but that cross-shore wind is making it a total bumpy mess. That goes on for days; Saturday and Sunday are no better, with swell dropping and the wind staying in the way. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th are just more of the same – a little bump in energy on Tuesday morning (681), but the wind is still cross and the quality is poor.

Empty Lots (reef) isn’t seeing any real love until we get toward the end of the week. Now, Wednesday the 16th is all cross-shore gunk with a fresh breeze – the energy is up (893 on Wednesday morning), but that’s not helping because it’s messy. The real interesting shift comes Thursday the 17th. We get a jump in swell height to 6ft, but the period drops to a short 8 seconds, and the energy spikes to 1010 (strong wave energy). That’s a lot of power, but the wind is still a fresh cross-shore, so it’s lumpy and not for beginners. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session honestly. That short period swell combined with the wind will mean ugly, choppy faces.

The only light at the end of the tunnel is around Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th. For the first time in this forecast, we get an offshore wind. On Thursday the 24th morning we have a SSE wind at 9 mph, blowing offshore (on) with 5ft swell from the east at 10 seconds. The energy is solid (914). This is the best we’ve seen. Friday the 25th morning sharpens up a touch – still offshore (SSE 6 mph), 6ft swell from the east, period 10 seconds, and the energy climbs to 961. By Friday afternoon, with the same wind and swell, the energy hits 1134 (strong wave energy). That’s the standout. It’s still a bit of a short-period swell, so it won’t be super lined up, but with that offshore wind, Empty Lots could actually have some workable, punchy waves. The crowds can show up here sometimes, so you might have to share.

Overall, it’s a slow start. The first two weeks are mostly a waste of time. Hold out for the 24th and 25th – that’s your window. That Friday the 25th afternoon is your best bet, but it’s still just a marginal setup. I wouldn’t get too excited, but at least the wind is finally right.

Stay patient. Rusty.

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