Fernandina Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The way it’s looking, we’ve got a long stretch of pretty quiet conditions ahead for the Fernandina Beach Pier area. The surf is going to be small and mostly messy for the first week and a half, with some cleaner windows appearing later on. Let’s break it down day by day.

Starting off Thursday afternoon, the 6th of August, there’s a tiny 2ft swell out of the ESE with a short 7-second period and weak wave energy (43). On top of that, we’ve got a moderate breeze blowing onshore from the ESE, so it’s not going to be any good. Water temp is sitting at 82°, which is about average for this time of year.

Friday the 7th is similar – a bit more size at 3ft to 3ft, but the period is even shorter at 6 to 7 seconds and the energy is still low (52 to 101). The wind is onshore and there’s a risk of thunderstorms. Not worth paddling out.

Saturday the 8th brings a little more energy (155) with 4ft swell, but the wind is cross-onshore from the SSE in the morning, shifting to onshore ESE in the afternoon. Still poor conditions.

Sunday the 9th drops back to 3ft, weak energy (68 and 66), and cross-shore to cross-onshore winds. No good.

Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th are tiny – 2ft to 3ft – with very low energy. A couple of mornings show clean conditions with light offshore or cross-offshore winds, but the swell is just too small to get excited about. Wednesday the 12th through Saturday the 15th follow the same pattern: ankle to knee-high waves, mostly weak and short period, with only occasional clean windows.

Sunday the 16th sees a bump in energy to 122 in the afternoon, with 3ft swell from the SE and 8-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore. Still not good.

Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting. Monday the 17th of August, the morning shows a 2ft swell from the SE (8 sec), but the wind is light offshore from the WSW. The comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – it’s clean, but tiny. That’s the first real chance to get wet, but only if you’re desperate.

Tuesday the 18th morning is similar – 2ft, offshore wind from the WSW, clean, and the period stretches to 9 seconds. Energy is moderate at 83. Still small, but cleaner.

Wednesday the 19th morning: 2ft, offshore WSW wind, 9-second period. Clean, but again, small.

Here’s the standout window. Thursday the 20th of August, early morning – clear skies, a light offshore wind from the W, and the swell picks up to 3ft from the ESE with a 10-second period. That’s a longer period groundswell, and combined energy hits 128 – moderate. The setup looks clean and the longer period means better shaped waves. This is the best on offer across the whole outlook. The downside is it’s small, but for the area and this stretch, it’s the cleanest, most promising session. The swell direction is ESE, which isn’t the optimum NE direction, but with offshore wind and that period, it’ll still produce some fun lines at the pier.

Friday the 21st of August morning: glassy conditions with a light SSW breeze, 3ft from the SE, 9-second period, and energy at 117. Clean, surfable, but not as good as Thursday morning.

So, overall, the first 11 days are mostly a write-off with poor, small, onshore slop. The best bet is Thursday morning the 20th of August – it’s clean, has the longest period of the run, and moderate energy. After that, the following Friday morning is also clean but a touch smaller. If you can only pick one session, go for Thursday the 20th.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the forecasts – sometimes these flat runs break open.

Rusty.

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