Fifth Street (Miami) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real. This is Fifth Street in Miami, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: the next 16 days look pretty bleak for a surf. There’s really nothing to get excited about. The forecast shows a long stretch of tiny, weak waves mixed with average to poor winds. For a sheltered spot like this, the swell just isn’t showing up. The water temperature is sitting at about 88°, a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so it’s pleasant to swim but not offering much for a surfer.

From Thursday, July 9th, right through to the end of the month, every single session is labeled “poor surf conditions.” The waves are tiny, mostly 0.3 ft to 3 ft, with very short swell periods (3 to 10 seconds – that’s pure wind chop when it’s that low). The combined energy is weak, often just single-digit values (9, 8, 59 on a slightly better Friday, then back to 13). The wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, chopping up whatever tiny ripple is there.

There’s a small window around Friday, July 10th, where the swell height bumps up to 3 ft out of the southeast, but the period is just 6 seconds and the wind is a cross-onshore 16 mph. The energy is still low at 59. It’s not worth paddling out for. Later in the month, around July 23rd and 24th, we see that same 3 ft southeast swell again, but again with short 4-5 second periods and cross-onshore winds (13-19 mph). The energy is still weak (in the 30s range). The predicted break is a beach and reef setup, but with these conditions, it’s honestly more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. The wind is consistent and the waves are poor.

There are no standouts here. No clean, glassy mornings. No long-period groundswell. The best advice? Leave the board at home, or go for a swim. The forecast can change, but as it stands, there’s nothing to recommend.

Rusty.

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