5th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at 5th Street are looking pretty grim. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf conditions ahead, so don’t be in a rush to wax up. The water temperature is sitting at 77°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing if you do get in.

The pattern starts Thursday morning, August 20th, with some clouds and a light cross-on breeze from the south at 6 mph. The swell is a tiny 1 ft from the southeast, with a weak period of 8 seconds and combined energy of just 12 – that’s barely a ripple. It’s pretty much flat and messy. That carries on through the afternoon with a stronger south wind picking up to 16 mph, making it choppy and poor.

Friday the 21st isn’t much better. We get a bit more swell, around 3 ft from the east-northeast, but the period is a terrible 5 seconds, so it’s all wind chop. The combined energy bumps up to 66, but winds are moderate and cross-shore, leaving a cross-chop that’s just ugly. The afternoon is similar, with 3 ft and 52 energy.

Saturday the 22nd sees a risk of thunderstorms all day. Morning brings a light onshore breeze from the east-southeast at 9 mph, with a tiny 1 ft swell and 5-second period – combined energy only 25. The afternoon shifts to a light cross-on from the south-southwest, but the swell stays small and weak. Still poor.

Sunday the 23rd keeps the storm risk, with a light cross breeze in the morning. Swell is a pathetic 0.7 ft, but interestingly the period jumps to 13 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell, but with almost no height, it’s just a long wait for nothing. Combined energy is 36. The afternoon is cleaner with a cross-off breeze from the west-southwest at 12 mph, and a 2 ft swell from the south-southeast at 6 seconds, but it’s still considered poor.

Monday the 24th is the first time we see proper offshore winds. A clear morning with a moderate offshore from the west-northwest at 16 mph, and a 1 ft swell from the southeast at 12 seconds. The wind makes it clean, but there’s hardly any wave to ride. Combined energy is just 33. The afternoon is similar with a lighter cross-off breeze.

The rest of the week through to the end of August is a rinse and repeat of small, weak swells and poor conditions. We get a bit of a bump on Wednesday the 26th morning – glassy conditions with a light breeze from the east-northeast, and a 2 ft swell from the east-southeast at 6 seconds. The combined energy is 72, and the comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best we get, but it’s still nothing to write home about.

Then there’s a long gap of days with nothing recommended. Finally, on Thursday, September 3rd, the swell starts to build. The afternoon sees a 5 ft swell from the east with a 6-second period, and combined energy hits 146 – that’s moderate energy. But the winds are cross-on from the east, so it’s choppy and messy. Still poor.

Friday, September 4th, is the biggest pulse of the forecast. Morning has a 7 ft swell from the east with an 8-second period, and combined energy is a strong 572. The afternoon pushes that energy up to 640. But here’s the kicker – the winds are gentle cross-on, so it’s not clean. At 7 ft, this is getting into expert territory, and with the wind direction, it’s not going to be a classic day. The swell direction is east, which is not the optimum southeast for this spot, so it won’t be breaking as well as it could.

Bottom line: there’s no standout session here. The only real highlight is that Wednesday the 26th morning with glassy conditions, but the waves are tiny. The big swell on September 4th has power but bad wind and a poor direction. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those bigger days. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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