57th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about the next couple of weeks. I’m looking at 57th Street, and I won’t sugarcoat it – the surf is pretty gutless for the most part. There’s a long patch of nothing good on the horizon, so don’t be rinsing your wetsuit just yet.

The opening stretch is a write-off. From Wednesday the 5th right through to about the 16th, we’re looking at tiny, weak, and messy waves. Swell heights are mostly under 3ft, with periods stuck around 6 seconds – that’s just wind chop, not real swell. The energy readings are low, often in the 20s and 40s, which tells you there’s nothing pushing in. Winds are mostly cross or cross-onshore, so it’ll be lumpy and hard to find a decent line. There’s a brief moment on Saturday the 8th afternoon and Sunday the 9th morning where the wind goes cross-off and the surf cleans up, but with only 2ft of weak 6-second swell, it’s not going to be worth the paddle. You’d be surfing closeouts if you’re lucky.

The real story is the back half of the period. Things start to pick up on Sunday the 16th. The swell direction swings around to the east, and we finally see some energy building. On the 16th, it’s around 4-4ft, but still short period. By Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th, the wave heights are around 3-4ft, and the energy jumps into the 100s – that’s the first time we’re seeing any real push. The period stretches out to 7-8 seconds, which is still not mind-blowing, but it’s a step up. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore from the east-southeast, so it’ll have some bump on it, but it’s cleaner than the crap we’ve been dealing with.

This little pulse peaks on Monday the 17th afternoon and Tuesday the 18th with combined energy readings around 147-155. That’s the most interesting window in the whole 16 days. The swell direction is from the east, which is close to the optimum for this sandbar. It’s still only 3-4ft, but with that extra energy, it might just have a bit of push to it. Still, with the onshore wind, it won’t be perfect. It’s a sandbar, so with a bit of east in the swell, it might offer a few more corners than the usual closeouts.

Other than that, there’s nothing. The 19th and 20th drop back off again, fading to under 2ft. So, if you’re keen, keep your eye on the 17th and 18th. It’s not going to be epic, but it’s the only thing that even resembles a surf. For the rest of the time, you might be better off finding something else to do. The setup doesn’t look great for paddle surfing in the early part, but with those onshore winds and small waves, it might be more interesting for the kite crew.

It’s a long dry spell, but this place is fairly consistent, so it shouldn’t stay this flat for long. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, don’t get your hopes up for anything decent until the middle of next week.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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