Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here again, breaking it down for the imperial crew. I’ve got the boards for Empty Lots in front of me, and we are looking at a long, dry spell before anything worth paddling for shows up. Water temp is a comfortable 27°, right on the money for the season.

For the next week and a half—from Tuesday the 18th all the way to Tuesday morning the 1st of September—it’s pretty grim. That’s about 11 days of tough slogging. The wind is relentless out of the East-North-East (ENE) at 15 to 25 mph, kicking up a nasty cross-shore chop that’s ruining any chance of a clean ride. Swell is tiny at first, around 1 ft to 2 ft, with very long periods over 16 seconds. That’s quality groundswell, but with no size and bad wind, it’s just a tease. The combined energy mostly sits in the 300 to 700 range—pretty weak. The one bright spot is Thursday afternoon, the 20th. The wind goes completely glassy—dead calm—and we get a tiny 2 ft SW swell at 17 seconds, with moderate energy (398). That’s the only time in the first week you’ll get clean waves. It’ll be small, but perfect for a longboard.

Then we hit the second week, and the size cranks up but the quality crashes hard. Starting the 23rd, we get chest-to-head-high swell at 5 ft to 6 ft, but the period drops to a weak 7 to 8 seconds, and the wind stays howling from the ENE at 20 to 25 mph. The energy climbs to 500 to 700, but it’s all lumpy, wind-blown slop. By the 27th and 28th, the swell touches 6 ft to 7 ft at the same short period, with energy around 990 to 1200. But with that brutal cross-wind, this is strictly kite-surfing weather. Not worth taking a paddle board out.

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel. On Tuesday the 1st of September, the wind shifts to a moderate 16 mph from the Northeast, and it goes cross-offshore. The swell turns proper South at 3 ft with a very long 20-second period, and the energy climbs to 993. That’s a clean, strong signal. Then Wednesday the 2nd of September is the real standout. The wind drops to a light 3 mph from the East—almost nothing—and the swell holds steady at 4 ft from the South, still with a 19 to 20-second pulse. The energy hits 1637, which is strong. That long-period S groundswell combined with near-calm winds is exactly what you want at Empty Lots. The reef will handle that long period beautifully. Circle Wednesday the 2nd of September—that’s your best shot.

Stay patient, that S groundswell will clean things up nicely.

- Rusty

Read more