56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table.

Honestly, it is a grim picture for the next couple of weeks at 56th St. We are looking at a long, frustrating run of poor surf, right through to around the end of August. The swell is tiny, mostly between 1ft and 2ft, and the wind is constantly cross-on. It’s going to be a struggle to find anything ridable, let alone good. The energy in the water is weak, with combined energies stuck in the 200 to 300 range (266) – not exactly pumping. The water temp is a touch warmer than normal at 70°F, which would sting less if there was something to surf.

Things stay pretty flat and choppy through the weekend and into the new week. There is a slight uptick in swell around Wednesday the 26th, with the height pushing to 3ft from the S. But the cross-on wind is still hanging around, keeping it messy with small wind ripples.

Finally, around Thursday the 27th of August, there's a bit more size, hitting 5ft from the SSW with a moderate cross-on breeze. It’s still not classic, but the energy jumps up (988), so there will be some punch there. This is about as good as it gets, but it’s still marginal.

Then from the 29th, it backs off again, dropping back to 3ft. The wind does go straight offshore a few times, which is good, but the swell just isn't there to back it up. We are looking at a lot of flat, blown-out days. Honestly, for most of this outlook, the conditions look more suited to a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

The only faint glimmer is on the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September. We have a long-period 2ft S swell (14 secs) with light cross-on wind. The energy level is weak (262), but that longer period could give a few better shaped waves if you are patient. But it is a major long shot.

The real standout, if you can call it one, is the morning of Friday the 4th of September. An offshore wind from the S at 6 mph, with a 2ft SSW groundswell at 16 seconds. The combined energy will be moderate (453). With that very long period and a clean offshore breeze, it might actually shape up nicely as a long-period groundswell, even though the size is small. Because it’s a sheltered spot and that swell direction is right on the optimum, it could hold some clean waves for those who know the break. It’s still small, but it might be the one morning worth checking before the energy drops again.

Signing off,
Rusty.

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