Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, mate, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day stretch at Empty Lots is lookin' pretty grim. You're not gonna want to paddle out much, if at all. It's a reef break that's fairly consistent, but the conditions are just not cooperating. We're looking at a long stretch of poor surf quality right from the start, with fresh cross-shore winds and lumpy chop making a mess of things. To make matters worse, on August 30th, there's a combo of a weak windswell from the east at 5ft with a short period of only 7 seconds – that's just gonna be bumpy and fat. It doesn't let up until early September. You'd be better off doing something else for the first week.

The combined swell energy stays moderate all through the first week, bouncing between a couple hundred and nearly 1000, but the wind just ruins every session. It's all cross-shore, never lighter than a moderate breeze, with the water temp sitting about average for this time of year. Sure, there's some swell direction from the S and SSW, which is the optimum direction for Empty Lots, but what's the use if the surface looks like a washing machine?

Finally, around Monday, September 8th, we get a glimmer of hope. There's a light breeze turning cross-offshore from the NE on the Tuesday afternoon, and the guidance says to expect very good surf. The swell from the SSW is 4ft at 15 seconds, a nice long period groundswell with a combined energy of 790. That's the standout session. For the advanced surfer, this is the one to aim for.

Then, on Wednesday, September 9th, we see a glassy morning from the ENE at 5ft and a 9-second period – choppy and short, not your best bet. But the real gem is the Wednesday afternoon from the WSW: glassy, 3ft SSW swell at a solid 13 seconds, and a combined energy of 746. That will be straight-up clean.

Come Thursday, September 10th, the afternoon goes glassy again with a 4ft ENE swell (10-second period), giving you another clean and peelable option.

After that, it starts to fade again, with onshore winds and bigger, messier ENE swell up to 6ft, which is too big and dirty for fun surfing unless you're a seasoned local lookin' for a beatdown.

So, to sum it up, the first nine days are a write-off. The best on offer is the Tuesday afternoon, September 8th, with that perfect offshore wind and a lovely 15-second SSW groundswell – mark it on your calendar. The Thursday afternoon, September 10th, is your second-best bet for clean, glassy waves. For the rest, I'd save your energy.

Rusty.

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