57th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this outlook for the next 16 days at 57th Street is a tough one. We’ve got a few moments where the ocean tries to offer something, but honestly, it’s mostly a flat spell with poor conditions. There’s a bit of a gap at the start with no real surf to speak of until about Saturday morning, September 12th. After that, there’s another quiet stretch leading into the second week.

The Overall Pattern
For the first week, from Friday, September 4th through to Friday, September 11th, the swell is tiny—mostly under 3ft—with short periods (4 to 10 seconds) and very weak combined energy, often below 100. The wind is all over the place, but when it’s offshore, like on Thursday, September 10th with a 3ft swell from the south and a fresh offshore wind from the NW, it’s clean but the waves are poor. The water temperature is 77°F with a big anomaly of 5°F warmer than average, which is very unusual for this time of year.

The real standout window comes on Saturday, September 12th. That morning sees a 5ft swell from the east with a period of 7 seconds and combined energy hitting 226, which is moderate wave energy. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the NNW, making it smooth. It’s still not perfect, but it’s the best size we get. That afternoon, it drops a touch to 5ft but stays clean with a light offshore from the NW. This is only for intermediate to experienced surfers—5ft is okay for most, but anything over 5ft starts pushing it for beginners, and this is right on the edge.

Sunday, September 13th has a 4ft east swell with a 6-second period, but the wind swings to a light cross-shore from the SSW in the morning and a choppy cross-onshore from the south in the afternoon. Not great.

Monday, September 14th morning brings a 4ft east swell with a very long 8-second period and combined energy of 403, which is strong wave energy. The wind is a light cross-shore from the SW, so there’s some chop. This swell has decent power but the period is short, so it won’t hold shape well at a beach break like this. It’s more for the kites than paddles.

After that, from Tuesday, September 15th onward, the swell drops back to 3ft or less, with weak energy and mostly cross-shore or onshore winds. Clean spells on Thursday, September 17th morning with a 2ft east swell and a light cross-offshore from the north, but it’s tiny.

The Best on Offer
If you’re desperate, Saturday, September 12th is the pick. The morning session has the biggest swell at 5ft from the east, with clean conditions thanks to a light cross-offshore wind. The combined energy is 226, which means there’s enough push to get a few fun ones. It’s not a standout for quality, but it’s the best size and cleanliness in the whole forecast. Crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have company, but it’s not packed.

Other than that, the whole period is a flat and messy affair. If you’re into kiting, the bigger windy days like Thursday, September 10th (fresh offshore, 3ft south swell) might be more your go.

Rusty.

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