Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Empty Lots. It’s a reef break, exposed to the open ocean, and it’s been a bit of a struggle lately. We’ve got a run of small, weak surf with a lot of cross-shore wind messing things up. Nothing’s really firing at the moment, but we do have a couple of windows where things clean up nicely, so keep an eye on those.

Right now, Monday morning, we’ve got a tiny 1ft SW swell but the period is a long 24 seconds. That’s all energy and no push, and the cross wind is chopping it up, so it’s pretty poor. The water’s sitting at 81.3°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The next few days are pretty much the same story – small SW swells, mostly under 3ft, with cross winds and lumpy conditions. The middle of the week has a brief pulse of ENE swell on Thursday the 17th, pushing up to 5ft to 6ft, but the period is a short, crumbly 10 seconds, and that’s just not going to hold together well on this reef. The wind will be up, so it’s going to be messy. The combined energy gets up to around 1162 in the afternoon, which is moderate, but it’s just not enough to overcome the wind.

After that, it’s a grind. Friday the 18th drops back to around 3.5ft, then the weekend gets blown out with fresh easterly winds, 20-22 mph, and the swell fades to under 3ft. The combined energy is moderate, around 800-900, but the conditions are poor. This is looking more like a kitesurfing setup than a paddle session, honestly, with all that cross-shore wind and lumpy chop.

We go through a blank stretch here – nothing rideable until the 24th, when the wind finally starts to ease. There’s still a bit of ENE breeze, but the swell is dropping back down. Then things change.

The real hope is the last couple of days of the month. On Sunday the 27th, we start to see some promise. The morning is still a bit cross-on, but the afternoon turns glassy with a light NNE breeze, and the swell builds slightly to 3ft with a 15-second period from the SSW. The energy is moderate, around 642. That’s a huge improvement.

Then Monday the 28th is the standout. Morning is glassy with a light SSW wind, and the swell is a clean 3.5ft with an 18-second period from the SSW, and the energy is up to 964. This is easily the best window we’ve seen all week. The afternoon is a bit more cross-on, but still manageable. And then Tuesday the 29th, the afternoon turns glassy again with a touch of WNW wind, holding that same 3ft SSW swell at 16-seconds. This is clean, lined-up reef surf. It’s not huge, but it’s the right direction, the right period, and the wind is finally playing ball.

So, the standout is Monday the 28th morning – that’s the one to go for if you can. The Tuesday afternoon is a close second. Everything else is a battle with the wind and weak, short-period junk. Keep the hopes up for that last stretch – it’s a promising, but we’re still a week out, so don’t book your day off just yet.

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