57th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get real about 57th Street.

Over the next 16 days, it’s a pretty grim stretch for paddle surfing. The swell is small, the wind is often messy, and there’s not a single standout session that’ll have you calling in sick. There’s a long gap of poor conditions right through the first week, and while things settle down a little into early August, it never really gets good. This is one of those runs where the forecast might change, but as it stands, you’re better off checking back in a few days.

The first recommendation doesn’t come until Thursday morning, July 23rd. You’ll see around 3 ft of SSE swell (8-second period, pretty weak energy at 74). The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NNE, so the surface will be clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Not worth rushing for.

Friday the 24th through Sunday the 26th is a write-off. Swell is tiny, period is all over the place, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. Sunday morning the 26th goes glassy, but there’s only 2 ft of weak SE swell (42 energy). Might be a flat, pretty paddle, but not a wave to ride.

The pattern continues into the next week. Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th are poor, with onshore wind and small, weak swell. Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th offer a little relief. On the 29th, 3 ft of SSE swell with a clean cross-offshore wind from the W. The swell energy is still low (84), but it’s rideable. On the 30th, the swell bumps up to 108 combined energy with 3 ft of SSE swell and a 9-second period, making it the best of a bad bunch. The wind is a light cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean. Still, it’s not a standout.

From Friday the 31st through the first week of August, the swell stays small and inconsistent. There are a few more clean-looking windows, like Saturday August 1st with offshore wind (1 ft, SSE, 26 energy) and Sunday August 2nd morning with 2 ft of SE swell (86 energy) and a clean cross-offshore breeze. But the wave heights are tiny, and the energy is weak.

The biggest issue here is the swell size. It never gets above 3 ft, and that’s only on the last day, Friday August 7th morning, with a short-period 3 ft E swell (108 energy) but cross-onshore wind. That’s not going to be any good. For beginners, nothing here is too big, but it’s also not really worth paddling out for. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.

Honestly, 57th Street is a sandbar that needs a proper push of energy to work. This whole 16-day window is a dud. If you’re a kite surfer, the stronger cross-onshore afternoons might offer something, but for a surfer, save your energy.

Rusty.

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