Fernandina Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, folks, Rusty here. Let me tell you, it's a pretty quiet stretch ahead for the Fernandina Beach Pier area. We're looking at a whole lot of flatness and small, weak waves right through the end of August and into early September. The first time we see anything even worth getting the board off the rack is on the morning of Monday, September 1st, and even then, it's a long wait.

The overall pattern is just a long run of poor surf conditions. The water temp is sitting about average for the time of year at 83°F, so that's one thing we've got going for us. But the swell is tiny, mostly under 1ft, with a pitiful combined energy reading (37) to start. The wind is mostly cross-on or cross-off, keeping things messy. There's a real gap of about nine days there from the start of the forecast right through the end of August with basically nothing to recommend.

Now, let's look at the one or two times the surf might be just barely surfable. On the morning of Monday, September 1st, we finally get a small window. The wind is light and glassy out of the west, and the swell pops up to 1.0ft from the ESE with a very long period of 16 seconds. That long period gives it a bit of energy, but it's still weak (combined energy of 85). That long period is a groundswell, but the swell is so tiny it's hardly going to wrap in or shape up. The crowd might show up (sometimes crowded), but honestly, it's a real marginal session.

The other standout is the morning of Wednesday, September 2nd. The wind is clean and offshore out of the west at 6 mph, and we've got 1ft of ESE swell with a 13-second period. The combined energy is still weak (84), but the offshore wind will make it clean. Again, it's tiny, but it's the best we're likely to see for a while.

The following week stays pretty grim. We get a few mornings with glassy conditions or offshore wind, like on the morning of Thursday, September 3rd, and Friday, September 4th, with a little 2ft swell from the east. The combined energy creeps up to 124 on the 3rd, which is still weak to moderate. But the swell is still small, and it's a beach break setup, so that long period groundswell (12-13 seconds) might just break too straight to offer much. The crowds are a possibility (sometimes crowded), but it's not worth getting too excited about.

The morning of Sunday, September 6th, shows a glassy morning with 1ft from the east, but that's a weak (50) energy and a short 11-second period. Then on Monday, September 7th, we get a risk of thunderstorms and a bigger, but short-period, 3ft from the ENE. That's a windswell, really, with a period of just 6 seconds. It's going to be a mess.

Honestly, if you're looking for a proper paddle, this is a tough run. The swell is consistently tiny, the energy is weak, and the only real positive is the occasional clean conditions. This is more of a kite-surfing situation if the wind gets up, but for paddle surfing, you're mostly looking at a long stretch of flat water. The only time you might get a couple of grovelly waves is on those early mornings in the first week of September, with a clean offshore wind, but keep your expectations super low.

Rusty.

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