5th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you—this 16-day stretch is a tough one. The long and the short of it is that there's nothing worth paddling out for for the first eleven days. The combined swell energy barely gets out of double digits, and the swell height sits stubbornly below 2ft. It's a dry spell, plain and simple. Then, around the 19th of August, we start to see a little pulse of energy, but the conditions are so-so. The real kicker comes right at the tail end of the forecast, on the 22nd and 23rd of August, where we finally get something with a bit of push and decent wind.

The only spot on the menu is 5th Street, a beach and jetty setup that's fairly exposed. The water temp is a touch warmer than normal at 77°.

Let's walk through it.

From the 8th of August right through the 18th, it's a total write-off. We're looking at tiny, weak swell with combined energy barely cracking 50 in the first few days, and then just creeping up into the 90s by the 18th. The wind is all over the shop—cross, cross-off, even some glass—but the waves are just too small to do anything with. There are a couple of glassy mornings on the 11th and 19th, but the swell is only 1.0ft to 2ft. You'd be floating, not surfing.

Now, the 19th of August is where it gets a little interesting. Wednesday morning brings a glassy start with a 1.0ft swell from the SE, but it's got a nice long 13-second period on it. The combined energy is still low at 63, but it's surfable, just very ordinary. The real change kicks in on the 20th of August. Thursday morning we see a 2ft SE swell with a 12-second period and combined energy of 165. The wind is a light cross-off from the N, so it should be clean. By Thursday afternoon it gets even better—2ft from the SE, still 12 seconds, combined energy up to 188, and a light offshore breeze from the NNW. That's the first real standout of the forecast. It's not big, but it's clean and the longer period should give it a bit of shape.

The 21st of August is a step backwards—wind swings onshore and picks up, making a mess of the 3ft to 4ft swell. A classic case of the swell arriving with bad wind.

But then we get to the best on offer. The 22nd of August has a Saturday afternoon session with a 3ft ESE swell, an 8-second period, and combined energy of 128. The wind is light and cross-off from the W, so the surface should be clean. That's a decent bet.

Then, the true standout of the whole forecast is the Sunday, 23rd of August, morning session. The swell is 3ft from the ESE, period bumps up to 9 seconds, combined energy is a solid 120, and the wind is howling offshore from the NNW at 19 mph. That is a fresh, clean offshore breeze. It's going to be clean, the waves will hold their shape, and there might be some fun little walls. The water will be clean. If you want the best wave of this 16-day run, that Sunday morning is it. Keep in mind it's a beach break, so with that longer period, the sets might be a bit more walled up and less peaky.

So, to wrap it up: the first eleven days are a bust. The 19th and 20th show a little pulse of clean, small swell. The 22nd afternoon is a decent option. But the Sunday morning of the 23rd of August is your best shot. It's not a massive swell, but the offshore wind and clean conditions will make it a morning worth getting up for.

Rusty.

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