56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. It’s a pretty flat and forgettable stretch coming up for our stretch of coast. The ocean’s just not delivering any real push for a while, so don’t be in a rush to grab your board. We’re looking at a long, quiet period before anything even gets close to worth your time.

The first week is basically a write-off. Day after day, we’re seeing the same story: small, weak swell running 3ft to 3ft, and the energy behind it is just sad. Most days, the wind is light but it’s cross-onshore or straight onshore, which is enough to chop up what little is there. Sure, there might be the odd clean-ish morning, like on the 18th and 19th with the light southerly winds, but the swell is just too small and weak to do anything with. You’d be fighting for dribbles. We’re looking at combined wave energy values in the 150 to 340 range, which is weak, just to give you an idea. Even when a slightly longer period swell tries to show up on the 23rd, the height is only 1ft, so it’s all for nothing. This isn't a time for surfing; it's a time to watch the horizon and maybe get other stuff done.

We carry on through the 24th, 25th, and 26th with more of the same weak, cross-onshore junk. There are some windows where the wind looks like it might lay down, but the swell just isn’t there to back it up. You’re looking at 2ft to 2ft waves and energy still stuck in that weak 200-340 range. It’s a frustrating pattern. The morning of the 28th is the only glimmer of something, with a light offshore wind and a 2ft SSW swell at 16 seconds, but it’s too inconsistent and the energy is still low. It’ll be a struggle to even find a rideable ripple.

The wait, though, is finally looking like it could pay off at the very end of the month. Starting on the 29th of August, we see a pulse of energy arrive. The swell jumps to 3ft and the combined energy cranks up to 561, the strongest we’ve seen in this whole window. The wind is still not perfect, but it’s light enough on the morning that it could be clean. The morning of the 30th is your best bet, with a similar 3ft SSW swell and light winds, giving you a real shot at a few fun, crumbly waves. It’s still not big, but after a week of nothing, it’ll feel like a gift. This is where you should be, but keep expectations in check. The period through the 31st and into the 1st of September holds similar energy, but the wind starts to get a bit more cross-onshore again.

For this, the standout window is really the morning of the 30th of August. It’s the most complete package of the whole forecast: the biggest, most consistent swell, light offshore wind, and solid energy. The break itself is 56th St, a very consistent spot. Just know that it is sheltered, and with this size, it’s an intermediate level wave. A heads-up, the water is running 72°, which is 5° warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s pretty toasty.

The long-range stuff on the 29th, 30th, and into the 1st of September looks promising, but remember, we’re a week and a half out, so treat it as a hope rather than a certainty. There's nothing for the beginners in this window; the waves are not the issue, it's just a lack of any real size to push you around.

Alright, that’s the story. It’s a long, slow grind, but there’s a little reward waiting at the end if you’re patient.

Rusty.

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