57th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’m looking at the next 16 days for 57th Street. Gotta be honest, this stretch is looking pretty bleak for us. There’s a long quiet spell ahead, and it’s going to be a while before we see anything worth a paddle.

Right now and for the first week or so, we’re looking at tiny, weak swell. The combined wave energy is mostly in the double digits, often under 60 (53), and the swell heights are hovering around 1ft to 3ft, with periods mostly around 5 to 7 seconds. That’s small, short-period windswell, and it’s just not going to shape up into anything decent. The water temp is sitting at 76°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s the only good news. The winds are mostly cross or cross-off, but they’re not making up for the lack of size. We’re looking at a solid 10-day stretch here where the surf is just poor, with a lot of clean conditions but absolutely no power behind them.

Now, there’s a glimmer of hope if you’re patient. The first real change starts around Tuesday, the 18th of August. We see a slight bump in swell size, with the morning showing 4ft from the ESE with a period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 134 (moderate). The wind is light and cross-off from the W, keeping things clean. This is about as good as it gets in this outlook, and it’s only a “surfable but very ordinary” situation. The morning of the 19th gets a bit of onshore wind, but by the afternoon of the 19th, we see a similar 4ft from the ESE, with a period of 8 seconds, and the energy climbs to 221 (moderate). The wind goes light cross-off from the WSW, making for clean conditions. That afternoon session on the 19th is the best we’ve got, but it’s still not a standout; it’s just the least bad option.

The 20th of August throws a bit of a curveball. The swell height hits 5ft from the S with a period of 6 seconds, and the combined energy spikes to 428 (strong wave energy). But that’s a short-period swell, and the wind is howling from the W at 19 mph, so it’s going to be a messy, blown-out mess. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session. The following days drop back down to tiny, weak surf.

So, if you’re looking for a wave, circle the afternoon of Wednesday, the 19th of August. It’s going to be the cleanest of the bunch with a little bit of push, but temper your expectations. It’s a long wait for very ordinary conditions. Keep an eye on the forecasts, though—it tends not to stay this quiet forever.

Rusty.

Read more