56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, it’s Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for 56th St.

Look, I’m not gonna sugar-coat it: we’re looking at a pretty grim run for a while. The first week and a half is mostly a write-off. The swell is tiny, the wind is all wrong, and the conditions are just ugly. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so at least a wetsuit won’t feel off.

The whole opening stretch from August 22nd through the end of the month is a no-go. Swells are barely above flat, often under 2ft, with a period that can be decent on some days, but it just doesn’t matter. The wind is nearly always cross-on or onshore, kicking up chop and ruining any chance of a clean face. The combined wave energy is weak to moderate, barely cracking triple digits in a good way, mostly sitting between 130 and 500, which tells you the ocean’s just not putting out. There’s one brief moment on the morning of August 25th—the glassy conditions are a tease—but with a 2ft swell from the SW, it’s still ordinary at best.

We finally see a pulse that might give us something on September 5th. Saturday morning brings a 4ft SSE swell with a 16-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 1397—moderate to strong energy. The wind is light and offshore from the S, which at 56th St is actually good, blowing straight offshore. This is the standout window. The swell direction is a little south of the optimum SW, but with that clean offshore wind, the waves should be well-shaped and clean. It’s not huge, but it’s the best we’ve seen all forecast. That afternoon pushes up to 5ft from the S, still offshore, but it’s getting a bit bigger. Still manageable for intermediates. The next day, September 6th, holds similar size at 5ft from the SSE, still with offshore light wind, but that’s right on the edge for beginners.

Overall, if you’re itching, the morning of September 5th is your real shot. The waves won’t be huge, but it’ll be clean and fun. Before that, don’t bother. The gap between now and that date is a long, frustrating one—nearly two weeks of poor surf. This break is very consistent by nature, so it’s a bit of a bummer to see this, but that’s the hand we’re dealt.

Rusty signing off.

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