Fernald Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this 16-day window for the area is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, messy, and mostly onshore slop. The only spot on the radar is Fernald Point, a point break that’s a beginner-friendly wave but here’s the catch: it rarely breaks. So, right off the bat, we’re dealing with a spot that’s fickle even when conditions are good, and right now, conditions are far from good.

The first action we see is for Saturday, August 29th. A small 2ft groundswell is coming in from the SSW, with a long 17-second period. That long period is a bit of a double-edged sword for a point break – it can bring in some nice lines, but it can also make the wave break a bit straight. The combined wave energy is moderate, sitting at 298. The wind is a cross-on light breeze from the WSW, which is a major letdown – it’s going to put a ripple on the surface and keep things looking pretty ordinary. The water temp is a balmy 71°, which is a whopping 8° warmer than average for this time of year. That’s very unusual, so you won’t need a thick wetsuit, but the surf won’t be worth suiting up for.

We roll through the rest of that weekend and into the first week of September, and it’s the same story on repeat. Swell heights hover between 1ft and 2ft, with periods dropping from 17 seconds down to the 11-14 second range. The wind stubbornly stays cross-on, mostly from the SW or WSW, at 6-9 mph. The energy levels start to fade, dropping from the 200s down to the low 100s by Tuesday, September 1st. Every single session is flagged as “poor surf conditions.” The odd afternoon on September 4th and 5th gets a “marginal” tag, but with the wind and the small size, it’s still nothing to write home about. There’s a gap of several days here where there’s no real recommendation to paddle out.

We get a slight change around Wednesday, September 9th. The afternoon session shows a clean offshore wind from the WNW at 9 mph, and the swell is still 3ft from the SSW. For the first time in the run, the wave comment says “surfable waves.” The energy is moderate at 231. But the period is a short 11 seconds, so it won’t have much push. This is probably the best the whole 16-day window has to offer, but that’s not saying much. It’s a one-off decent window in a sea of mediocrity. After that, it’s right back to the poor conditions, with the energy dropping into the double digits by the second weekend.

To sum it up, there’s no standout swell here. The best bet is the afternoon of September 9th at Fernald Point, if you’re desperate for a slide and can handle the “rarely breaks” reality. The rest of the period is a solid miss. For a point break that needs a good push from the SW, the swell is too small and the wind is almost always wrong. Honestly, with the persistent cross-on breeze and the small, weak surf, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Hold tight, forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a bleak run.

- Rusty

Read more