56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for 56th St over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you, this is one of those outlooks where you might want to keep the board in the car, but maybe not even bother waxing it up.

The overall pattern is a long, drawn-out stretch of very small, weak swell dominated by onshore and cross-onshore winds. There’s a standout moment buried way down the line, but the next week and a half is pretty grim.

The water temperature here is a notable 72° which is a massive 6° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, like wearing boardshorts in what should be a spring suit kind of unusual.

We kick off on Thursday the 30th of July with a small 3 ft swell from the SSW, but the wind is a cross-onshore from the WSW at 9 mph, making it a bit bumpy and choppy. The energy is moderate at best, but the conditions are poor.

Friday the 31st starts with a little more size at 4 ft from the S, but again that cross-onshore wind messes things up. The afternoon drops back to 3 ft and stays choppy.

The first weekend of August into the following week is where it gets depressing. From Saturday the 1st all the way through to Thursday the 7th, we are looking at swell heights between 1 ft and 2 ft. The winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and energy levels are weak. The wave comment is consistently "poor surf conditions" – it’s a total flat spell.

Now, here’s the one glimmer. On Friday the 7th of August in the morning, we see a pulse of 2 ft swell from the SSW, but with a very long period of 19 seconds. This is groundswell energy, and at this break it’s not enough height to make it work well. The energy is moderate, but the wind is onshore. The high period will make for long waits between sets, and with the low height, it’s really just a tease.

From Saturday the 8th of August onward through the middle of the month, the swell tries to pick up a little, staying around 2 ft to 3 ft from the SSW or SW. However, the cross-onshore winds stick around, and the energy stays in the moderate range. It's still not worth getting excited about. The surf quality is consistently rated as poor.

So, what’s the call? Honestly, there is no real standout here for the next 16 days. The whole period is a stretch of poor conditions. If you absolutely have to get wet, the best of a bad bunch might be the morning of Friday the 7th of August if that 19-second period bump lines up with a lull in the wind, but it’s a long shot and the waves will be tiny. For everyone else, this is a solid two-week window to clean your board, check your fins, or find something else to do. It’s one of those blank runs that’s pretty normal for this area when the swell direction and wind don’t cooperate.

Stay patient, my friends.

Rusty.

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