56th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this stretch is a tough one. 56th Street is the only game in town, and it's not exactly firing. The whole 16-day window is a long, flat slog with hardly a single proper session to get excited about. We're looking at a gap of several days with no real surf on offer, right from the start.

The first sniff of a wave comes on Sunday afternoon, the 26th of July. You'll see a clean 3 ft SSW swell rolling in, with a very long 18-second period, which is classic groundswell energy. The combined energy is moderate at 607, and with a light onshore breeze, it's not totally blown out, but the data says "poor surf conditions." It's small, it's a bit gutless, and the tide might be a factor. The water is a balmy 70°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a good 4° above the long-term average.

Monday the 27th offers a similar story. The morning shows a 4 ft SSW swell, still with that long 18-second period and that moderate energy (780). The wind is light and onshore. It's a "marginal" call at best. The afternoon is more of the same, just a touch smaller.

Tuesday the 28th sees a 4 ft wave again, but the wind shifts to a gentle cross-onshore, making it choppy. The energy is up a bit (813), but the quality drops. Wednesday and Thursday just keep the same sad pattern: small, onshore, and uninspiring. The swell bumps up to 5 ft on Thursday morning, but the period drops to 14 seconds, and it's still a "marginal" call.

Friday the 31st of July is the closest we get to a standout, and even then, it's a long shot. Morning sees a 5 ft S swell with a 14-second period and a light onshore breeze. The combined energy is solid at 844. It's a "marginal" forecast, but at 5 ft, it's getting into the zone where it could be fun for an intermediate, though it's still small enough for a beginner to have a crack. The wind is light and onshore, so it won't be glassy, but it's not terrible. Again, the afternoon gets a bit choppier.

After that, it's a slow death. The surf drops off a cliff. From Saturday the 1st of August onwards, the swell plummets. We're talking 1 ft to 2 ft waves for the rest of the run. The energy levels drop to three-digit values (between 85 and 493), which is weak. The period is all over the place, from 10 to 21 seconds, but with that tiny height, it's just not worth paddling out for. The winds stay light and often onshore, so the surface is a mess.

Honestly, the only day that even raises an eyebrow is Friday the 31st of July, and that's a low bar. For a break that's "very consistent," it's a real bummer of a forecast. If you're absolutely desperate, you might find a crumb, but usually, when it's this poor for this long, it's a sign that the ocean is just taking a nap. Forecasts can change, but right now, there's nothing to shout about.

Keep your boards waxed and your eyes on the horizon. Hopefully, something changes.

Rusty

Read more