Fifth Street (Miami) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, crew, Rusty here. Let’s have a good, hard look at what's coming our way for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – the outlook is a tough one, so don't get your hopes up too high.

We are looking at Fifth Street (Miami). Right now, and for the foreseeable future, the conditions are grim. The water is sitting at a warm 88°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won't need a spring suit, but you will need patience.

The pattern starts with a real flat spell. The first record shows a tiny 1 ft SE windswell with a shocking 3-second period and only 5 units of combined energy. It's just messy, choppy, and not worth paddling out for. This poor surf continues straight through Tuesday and Wednesday morning with short-period windswell, never breaking 2 ft and always blown out by cross-onshore winds. The wave comment sums it up: “poor surf conditions” all the way.

We slide into Thursday the 9th of July with even less on offer. By Friday the 10th, we see a slight bump to 3 ft from the SE, but with 25 km/h cross-onshore winds, it’s going to be a washing machine. The energy level is moderate at 54, but the quality will be terrible. There’s nothing here for a surfer to get excited about.

That flat, choppy pattern holds through the weekend and into the following week. We have a gap of several days where the swell is either non-existent or so weak it’s a waste of time. By Monday morning the 13th, we do see a brief window of clean conditions with a 5 km/h offshore wind from the west, but the swell is a pathetic 0.3 ft. You might as well be on a lake. The combined energy is a measly 3. You could literally count the ripples.

From the 14th of July all the way through to the 22nd, it's the same story. The swell height rarely touches 3 ft, and the periods are short. The winds are mostly cross-onshore, keeping the surface chopped up. There is a tiny moment on the 16th with a 1 ft NNE swell and a 7-second period, but with onshore winds, it's still not going to offer a proper wave. The biggest bump in the second week comes on the 18th with 3 ft from the SE and only 27 units of energy, but the wind swings to cross-on again. This is simply not surfable for a paddle board.

To be honest, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing with that consistent cross-onshore breeze and small, weak swell. There are no standouts here, no hidden gems, just a blank run of poor conditions. It’s a tough stretch, but sometimes that’s just the way it goes in this area. Forecasts can change, but for now, I’d keep the boards in the car and the fins in the bag.

Rusty.

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