56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this straight. The first few days here are basically a write-off. We’re looking at a long gap from the start of the period right through until the morning of Saturday, July 19th. There’s just nothing worth paddling out for before that. The south swell is around, but the wind is messy and the quality is rated poor, so don’t even bother.

Come Saturday morning, July 19th, we finally get a pulse. 56th St is the only game in town, and it’s a bit of a wildcard. You’ve got a 4ft swell from the south with a very long, 17-second period. That’s proper groundswell energy, but it’s a sheltered spot, so that long period can make it a bit tricky and straight at a beach break. The water temp is about 67°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. The real catch is the wind: it’s a light breeze from the SW, cross-on, so it’s not glassy but it’s not blown out. The combined energy is a meaty 1647, which is strong. It’s a marginal call, not a standout, but it’s the closest thing to a surf we’ve seen in a week. This spot is very consistent, but crowds are possible, so don’t expect a solo session.

That afternoon, the swell bumps up to 6ft and the period drops to 14 seconds. That’s getting into the territory where it’s big for beginners and only really fun for experts, especially with a cross-on breeze from the WSW. The energy is still high at 1588, but the wind won’t do it any favours. It’s more of a kitesurfing kind of setup than a sleek paddle surf.

Beyond that, the second week looks like a slow fade. The swell drops back to 3ft to 3ft, and the wind stays mostly cross-on. There’s a little blip on Thursday morning, July 23rd, with a 4ft south swell and a 16-second period, but the energy is still moderate at 1225 and the wind is light onshore. It’s a similar story – marginal at best. Nothing here is going to be a true standout for the whole 16 days; it’s mostly a waiting game until that mid-July pulse.

Rusty.

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