56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grab your board, but maybe keep it under your arm for a while. The next two weeks at 56th St are looking pretty flat and frustrating. We've got a long stretch of small, weak, and messy conditions ahead, with a very brief glimmer of hope way out at the end of the forecast. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing special there.

Starting now, we're looking at a gap of nearly two weeks with nothing worth paddling out for. From Wednesday the 8th of July right through to Saturday the 18th, it's a write-off. We've got a tiny, fading SSW swell with moderate energy (combined energy values dropping from 666 down to 135), but the wind is constantly blowing onshore or cross-onshore, keeping the surface chopped up and sloppy. The swell period is long, around 15-16 seconds, which would normally be promising, but there's just not enough size or direction to overcome the wind.

Even by Sunday the 12th, the swell has dropped to under 3ft and the energy is down. The wind is all wrong – it's messy and disappointing.

Now, there is a stand-out window that looks a little interesting, but it's a long way off. On Sunday the 19th of July in the morning, things finally line up. The wind goes glassy with a slight air from the south, and we get a clean 2ft swell from the southwest. That's small, sure, but the combined energy climbs to 406 (moderate), and with a period of 17 seconds it’ll have some long, sleepy lines. If you're a longboarder or into a mellow morning glide, this is the only real chance. The optimum direction from the southwest matches up nicely, and with the crowd factor being "sometimes", you might have it mostly to yourself. It won't be a day for hooting and hollering, but it'll be clean and peaceful.

After that brief morning window, the wind swings cross-onshore again in the afternoon, and the rest of the following week looks like more of the same small, onshore slop. There's a bit more size on the 20th, around 3ft, but with a strong cross-onshore wind, it'll be blown out.

So, bottom line: the best on offer is a very small, glassy window on the morning of Sunday the 19th of July. For the rest, it's a solid two-week stretch of poor surf. Keep the wetsuit handy, but don't hold your breath.

Rusty

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