56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s cooking.

Honestly, looking at the 16-day window, it’s a pretty flat spell overall. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf conditions, so don’t get your hopes up for anything epic. The first real chance to get wet is on Saturday morning, August 29th, at 56th St. The swell is running about 3ft from the SSW, with a very long period of 17 seconds pushing that combined energy up to 650 (moderate). The water is way warmer than usual for this time of year, sitting at 75°F, which is a solid 8°F above normal – that’s unusual. The morning has a light breeze from the SW, which is actually blowing straight onshore, so it’s not ideal. The forecast calls it marginal, and the tide might be a factor. It’s a sheltered spot, so it needs that swell direction to line up, and the SSW direction is a good match. Crowds are possible there, so you might have some company. Still, it’s the only morning that isn’t a total write-off early on.

After that, it’s a desert of poor surf all through the rest of August and into the first week of September. The wind is mostly cross-onshore, and the swell fluctuates between 2ft and 3ft, but the quality is just not there. The wind is never clean enough to make anything of it. This is a beach break setup, and with the wind and small swell, it’s looking more like a kite surfer’s playground than a paddle surfer’s dream.

The next glimpse of anything even remotely interesting doesn’t show up until Saturday, September 5th, in the morning. Again, 56th St with a 3ft swell from the SSW, period 16 seconds, and combined energy at 647 (moderate). The wind is light cross-onshore from the W, leaving small ripples. The forecast says it’s marginal, but it’s the only other morning that’s not a zero. By Tuesday, September 8th, the afternoon shows a bump in swell height to 4ft from the SSW, period 13 seconds, and energy at 640 (moderate), but the wind is blowing a moderate 12 mph cross-onshore from the W, making it choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out for.

The rest of the forecast fades out into tiny, weak surf. From September 9th onward, the swell drops to 2ft or less, with periods between 10 and 17 seconds, but the energy is low (under 500), and the wind stays unfriendly. The best of a bad bunch is the morning of Saturday, August 29th, and maybe the morning of Saturday, September 5th. Both are marginal, but they’re the only standouts in a long, flat stretch. For a spot that’s normally fairly consistent, this is a poor run, but it happens. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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