Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, my first scan of the 16-day window and there’s nothing to get excited about. The whole run is a write-off really. We’ve got a solid 16-day stretch with no surf worth paddling out for, so don’t bother waxing up just yet.

The only spot in the mix is Empty Lots, a reef break that’s pretty exposed and likes the swell from SSE. But look at this: from Saturday, July 4th, all the way through to the end of the window on July 19th, it’s just one poor call after another. The wind is hammering out of the ENE almost every day at 18 to 22 mph, and it’s always cross-shore, making everything lumpy and chopped out. The swell is tiny — mostly around 2ft to 3ft from the south or southwest, with some weird, short-period ENE windswell mixing in. The combined wave energy is moderate, hanging in the 300 to 900 range, but that’s misleading because the quality is junk.

There’s a short window around Sunday, July 12th, and Monday, July 13th, where the forecast just squeaks into “marginal” — still only scoring a 1 out of 10 for quality. Swell bumps to 3ft from the SSW with a long period around 15–16 seconds, which is a groundswell, and the wind drops slightly to 12–15 mph. The water here is about average for the time of year, but with that constant ENE cross-breeze, it’s still going to be a bumpy, cross-chop mess. It’s not worth the drive. Even with that longer period, Empty Lots is a reef, so it might hold a bit of shape, but the crowds here can show up sometimes, and for what? Knee-high, chopped-up lines.

The second week, from July 14th onward, it’s the same story: small south swell, strong cross-winds. There’s a little spike on July 18th with 5ft from the ENE, but that’s a windswell with a period of 8 seconds — weak, short-interval junk. That’s only for experts at that size.

Bottom line: Nothing is breaking consistently or cleanly. This is a blank run. For this area, that’s not too unusual. It won’t stay poor forever, but right now, save your energy. You might as well leave the boards in the car.

Rusty.

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